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Reminiscences  of  New  Hampton,  N.H. 


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REMINISCENCES 


OF 


NEW  HAMPTON,  N.  H. 


ALSO 


A  GENEALOGICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE 


KELLEY  AND  SIMPSON  FAMILIES. 


AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 


FRANK  H.  KELLEY,  M.  D., 

Felloir  of  the  Mass.  Medical  Society. 


WORCESTER,  MASS. 

PRINTED  BY  CHARLES  HAMILTON 

MDCCCLXXXIX. 


V 

m 


TO 


JUDGE    HENRY     Y.     SIMPSON, 

THE    FRIEND    OF    HIS    l'.OYHOOD, 


THE    AUTHOR 


.Indicates  this  Volume. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction 

Historical  Sketch u 

Sketch  ok  New  Hampton,  its  People,  and  its  Academy  ....  17 

A   REMARKABLE   DREAM   AND  ITS  FULFILMENT 24 

Ministers  and  Churches  of  New  Hampton 37 

Physicians  of  New  Hampton 3i) 

Reminiscences  of  J.  II.  Hanaford 70 

Sketch  of  the  Academy  at  New  Hampton ~* 

Genealogical  and  Biographical  Sketch   of  the  Kelley  and 

Simpson    Families 91 

Appendix ]Ai 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


F.  II.  Keixey FronU'sj'i'  c< 

Rachel  A.   Keli.ey To  face  page    5 


Ebenezeb    Fisk 

John  Went  worth  .  .  . 
Dana  Woodman  .... 
J.  II.  Hanaeord  .... 
New  Hampton  Academy 
A.  B.  Meservey  .... 
Gen.  B.  F.  Kelley  .  .  . 
Capt.  W.  M.  Keli.ey    .   . 

.James    Simpson 

John  K.  Simpson  .... 
Judge  Henry  Y.   Simpson 


30 

54 

58 

70 

78 

8:-? 

101 

114 

131 

134 

137 


^rJ-ae/C^.    J^e^ey. 


INTRODUCTION. 


It  has  been  the  design  of  the  compiler  of  this  volume  to 
write  his  recollections  of  his  native  town  in  a  familiar  style 
with  no  attempt  to  trace  the  persons  or  their  families  strictly 
according  to  the  rules  of  genealogical  research  ;  but  rather 
to  bring  to  the  minds  of  those  living,  in  as  free  and  interest- 
ing a  manner  as  may  be,  the  trials  and  hardships  of  a  class 
of  men  who  came  to  the  country  at  a  very  early  period, 
when  it  required  courage  to  leave  their  homes.  If  he  has 
in  any  small  degree  accomplished  the  object  he  will  be 
satisfied.  As  an  introduction  he  presents  a  short  auto- 
biographical statement,  followed  by  a  notice  of  his  mother's 
family. 

I  was  born  at  New  Hampton,  N.  H.,  Sept.  9,  1827  ;  and 
married,  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  April  20,  1853,  Lucy  Ellis 
Draper,  who  was  born  at  Dover,  Mass.,  Sept.  3,  1828. 
She  died  in  Worcester,  May  22,  1873  ;  and  I  married  for 
the  second  time,  January  8,  1879,  Mrs.  Jennie  P.  Martin, 
daughter  of  Edward  A.  and  Mariamne  S.  Pratt,  of  Prince- 
ton, Mass.,  who  was  born  at  Northbridge,  Mass.,  Oct.  11, 
1847.  I  attended  the  district  school  in  New  Hampton,  and 
entered  the  academy  in  1840,  where  I  remained  for  three 
years.     I  was  subsequently  in  the  dry  goods  store  of  James 


vi  Introduction. 

P.  Simpson,  until  the  spring  of  1846,  when  I  left  New 
Hampton  for  Boston.  At  the  end  of  three  or  four  months 
I  went  to  Dover,  N.  H.,  where  I  engaged  with  Dr.  Bethuel 
Keith  for  the  study  of  medicine.  Dr.  Keith  kept,  at 
that  time,  a  small  private  hospital  in  connection  with  his 
general  practice,  and  the  situation  thus  afforded  a  fine 
opportunity  for  observation  and  some  practice.  In  the  foil 
of  1847  I  went  with  Dr.  Keith  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to 
attend  a  course  of  lectures  ;  passing  the  whole  winter.  The 
engagement  with  Dr.  Keith  was  terminated  in  the  spring 
of  1849,  and  one  formed  with  Dr.  Aaron  Ordway,  of 
Lawrence,  Mass.,  who  had  a  large  practice.  This  lasted 
until  1851,  when  I  removed  to  Worcester,  and  formed  a 
connection  with  Dr.  Calvin  Newton  ;  who,  shortly  engaging 
in  other  business,  left  his  medical  practice  mostly  in  his 
partner's  hands.  During  the  time  from  1846  to  1852,  I 
was  attending  lectures  in  the  medical  college  in  Cincinnati, 
from  which  I  received  an  honorary  degree.  I  joined 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  in  1875,  and  delivered 
the  annual  address  before  the  Worcester  District  Medical 
Society  in  1880.  I  remained  in  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice  until  1883,  niy  activity  in  the  profession  thus  cov- 
ing a  period  of  thirty-two  years. 

I  was  the  first  president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
City  Hospital  in  1870,  and  served  in  that  capacity  thirteen 
consecutive  years,  besides  being  a  member  of  the  medical 
staff  for  several  years.  I  was  connected  with  the  city 
government  for  a  period  covering  twenty  years  :    as  mem- 


Introduction.  \  q 

ber  of  the  School  Board  two  years,  of  the  Common  Council 
six  years,  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  eight  years,  and, 
finally,  as  Mayor  of  the  city  in  1880  and  1881.  It  was 
during  my  mayoralty  that  the  new  building  for  the  City 
Hospital  was  commenced.  The  Board  of  Health  was  also 
established  during  this  time. 

My  maternal  ancestors  originated  at  Deerlield,  N.  II. 
My  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Tristram  Cram,  who  was  born 
in  1758,  and  died  in  1840,  aged  eighty-two  years.  He 
and  his  wife  Anna  had  two  sons  and  six  daughters,  viz.  : 

Thomas  Cram  ;  Cram  ;  Mrs.  Eastman,  of  Deerlield  ; 

Mrs.  Page,  of  Tamworth,  N.  H.  ;  Mrs.  Sawyer,  of  Sears- 
port,  Me.  ;  Mrs.  Page,  of  Belfast,  Me.  ;  Mrs.  Kelley,  of 
New  Hampton,  N.  H. ;  Miss  Cram,  of  Lowell,  Mass.  My 
grandfather  Cram  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  moved  to 
Belfast,  Me.,  with  his  family,  when  the  children  were  quite 
young.  He  received  a  pension  for  services  rendered  in  the 
New  Hampshire  regimental  line  during  the  Kevolution. 
My  mother's  paternal  ancestors  were  Simpsons.  That  is, 
my  grandmother  Simpson  married  a  Cram,  and  she  was  a 
sister  to  Thomas  Simpson  the  revolutionary  patriot  who 
married  Betsey  Kelley,  my  grandfather  Kelley's  eldest 
sister.  So  it  will  be  observed  that  the  Kelley  and  Simpson 
blood  ran  together  from  both  sides  of  the  house.  Grand- 
father Cram  died  in  Brooks,  Penobscot  County,  Me.  His 
widow  Anna  died  at  the  same  place  June  27,  1845,  aged 
eighty-four  years.  Tristram  Cram  and  Thomas  Simpson 
and  their  respective  wives  were  about  the  same  age.     Cram 


vni  Introduction. 

and  Simpson  were  both  pensioners  for  military  services 
rendered  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  accredited  to 
New  Hampshire.  Deerfield  seems  to  have  been  their  home  ; 
— Simpson  subsequently  going  north  to  New  Hampton,  and 
Cram  going  east  to  Belfast,  Me.  Mrs.  Eastman,  the  oldest 
child,  married  and  raised  a  large  family  in  Deerfield;  their 
children  grew  up  and  lived  at  home,  all  having  a  talent  for 
music,  and  singing  and  playing  the  violin  and  bass-viol  in 
church.  They  were  Universalists,  and  did  much  for  the 
church.  Mrs.  Eastman  outlived  all  her  children,  and  sur- 
vived her  husband  by  many  years.  She  was  a  woman  of 
great  nerve  and  character. 

The  second  daughter,  Dolly,  married  John  McClary 
Page,  at  Tamworth,  N.  H.  ; — a  farmer  who  took  an  active 
part  in  politics  and  gained  considerable  notoriety  at  one 
time.  He  was  thought  by  his  party  to  be  suitable  for 
governor,  but  never  received  a  nomination.  After  his  de- 
cease, his  widow  moved  to  New  Hampton.  Their  children 
were  :  John  McClary  Page,  who  died  young  ;  Evans  Page, 
who  died  young  ;  Charles  Page  ;  William  Plummer  Page  ; 
( !lara  Page.  William  P.  Page  was  taken  by  his  mother  to 
New  Hampton,  and  they  settled  near  the  Institution.  On 
the  death  of  the  mother,  she  was  buried  at  Tamworth  near 
her  husband  ;  the  son  married,  and  left,  at  his  death,  a 
widow  who  subsequently  married  again, — and  a  son,  Har- 
vey C.  Page,  who  is  now  living  in  Boston,  and  has  lately 
married  Miss  Dana,  of  New  Hampton,  a  descendant  of 
Dr.  Dana.     Clara  Page  married  Perkins  and  had 


Introduction.  ix 

three  children.  One  died  in  infancy;  one,  Eliza  H.,  mar- 
ried the  Rev.  Charles  S.  Perkins,  of  Lyndon  Centre,  Vt.  ; 
and  one,  John  McClary  Perkins,  is  now  a  lawyer  in  Boston. 
My  mother,  who  was  the  youngest  daughter,  went  to 
New  Hampton  to  live  with  Thomas  Simpson,  and  here 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  my  father.  She  was  a  tall, 
handsome  woman,  and,  like  her  sisters,  had  character,  and 
a  mild,  pleasant  disposition,  coupled  with  just  spirit  enough 
to  get  along  well  in  those  days.  Of  the  three  other  daugh- 
ters,— Mrs.  Sawyer  married  at  Searsport,  Me.,  and  Mrs. 
Page  at  Belfast,  Me.  ;  Miss  Susan  Cram  was  never  married, 
but  lived  in  Lowell,  and  later  in  Boston.  The  sons  lived 
in  Oldtown,  Me.,  and  were  active  business  men  in  that 
place. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH. 


T3KRHAPS  history  has  been  the  most  potent  factor  of  the 
many  arts  and  sciences  which  have  contributed  to  the 
civilization  of  to-day.  Even  if  we  conceive  of  a  race  of 
men  of  the  strongest  fibre,  physical  and  intellectual,  how 
little  would  be  accomplished  in  the  short  space  of  one  human 
life,  if  people  could  not  profit  by  the  quintessence  of  the 
experience  of  all  who  have  gone  before  them.  May  it  not, 
then,  be  an  especial  proof  of  an  all-wise  and  over-ruling 
Providence,  that  a  curiosity  of  what  has  happened  before, 
coupled  with  a  desire  to  record  for  posterity  whatever  of 
interest  may  take  place  within  one's  own  life,  has  been  im- 
planted in  the  bosoms  of  men  of  all  races,  in  every  age,  and  of 
all  degrees  of  civilization.  From  the  rudest  picture-writing 
of  the  untutored  savage  to  the  master-pieces  of  Macaulay, 
Motley,  and  Bancroft,  histories  all,  this  universal  trait  of 
human  character  may  be  seen  ;  and  mankind,  through  its 
giant  intellects  in  art  and  science,  has  learned  its  deepest 
lessons  from  the  story  of  human  experience  from  the  earliest 
date.  No  sermon  can  so  sharply  point  a  moral,  no  fiction 
so  excite  the  imagination,  no  eloquence  so  inspire  noble 
lives  and  daring  deeds,  as  the  wondrous  tale  of  what  man 
has  done.  History,  then,  may  well  claim  to  be  the  nation's 
school-mistress,  repaying  a  hundred-fold  the  labor  spent  in 
gaining  her  intimate  acquaintance.  The  majority  of  her 
pupils  are  unfortunately  compelled  by  the  harshness  of 
human  necessity  to  remain  in  the  primary   class,   and  to 


*The  Author  is  indebted  for  his  facts  and,  in  many  cases  for  the  words 
themselves  to  various  historical  works. 


12  Historical  Sketch. 

digest,  as  best  they  may,  the  epitomized  information  of  the 
more  advanced.  But  few  have  the  opportunity  or  the 
mental  characteristics  for  individual  research  in  the  broader 
fields  of  history.  Each  and  every  man  must  delve  for  him- 
self, if  he  would  gratify  his  natural  curiosity  as  to  his 
immediate  ancestors.  Personal  history  cannot,  except  in 
isolated  instances,  be  of  universal  interest;  but  investiga- 
tion as  to  the  traits  of  character  of  those  from  whose  loins 
we  sprang — when,  where,  and  how  they  lived — the  diffi- 
culties overcome — the  hardships  suffered — and  the  results 
achieved — may  not  be  entirely  fruitless  and  barren  of  inter- 
est, at  least  to  those  who  share  a  common  ancestry  with  the 
author,  or  whose  progenitors  were  similarly  circumstanced. 
To  the  physician,  the  human  body  and  mind  is  as  an  open 
book,  from  which  he  reads  the  why  and  wherefore  of  foibles 
mental  and  physical,  and  traces  the  cause  of  all  good  to  its 
source.  The  author  has  thus  passed  many  hours  of  a 
tedious  and  confining  illness,  which  would  otherwise  have 
been  grievous  to  bear,  with  absolute  pleasure,  in  collecting 
from  many  people,  and  from  different  places,  certain  facts 
relating  more  especially  to  his  own  immediate  ancestry, 
and  incidentally  to  the  little  New  Hampshire  town  in  which 
they  passed  their  lives.  He  has  added  to  these,  some 
references  to  their  fellow-townsmen  as  they  exist  in  his 
memory.  Too  much  honor  cannot  be  awarded  to  the 
sturdy  yeomen  who  first  pushed  their  way  into  the  wilder- 
ness-to  make  for  themselves  and  for  their  posterity  a  home 
which  should  be  theirs,  not  through  fealty  to  an  aristocrat, 
but  by  the  might  of  a  strong  arm.  Men  justly  praise  the 
heroism  which  prompts  to  the  daring  of  the  danger  of  a 
minute  or  of  an  hour,  but  of  how  much  sterner  stuff  must 


Historical  Sketch.  L3 

men  be  made  who  face  a  lifetime  of  toil  and  privation  and 
ever  present  peril.  The  story  of  the  settlement  of  the  New 
England  States  teems  with  instances  of  individual  daring, 
and  will  be  read  like  a  romance  for  generations  to  come. 

Early  in  the  history  of  their  settlement  there  was  no 
good  feeling  existing  between  the  people  of  southern 
New  Hampshire  and  the  Massachusetts  colony.  The  New 
Hampshire  people  were  engaged  in  pursuits  peculiar  to 
themselves,  and  they  possessed  less  piety  :  they  also  neg- 
lected the  improvement  of  the  land, — so  essential  in  the 
development  of  a  new  country.  After  the  claim  of  Mason 
and  Georges  had  been  given  up,  and  they  were  left  to  act 
for  themselves,  and  particularly  after  the  Massachusetts 
Company  had  obtained  the  Indian  title  to  large  tract-  of 
land  in  New  Hampshire, — Portsmouth  and  Dover  put  them- 
selves under  the  jurisdiction  of  Massachusetts,  in  order  to 
protect  themselves  from  the  common  enemy  and  to  secure 
the  rights  which  they  held  in  common.  In  the  next  year, 
1 642,  Exeter  did  the  same.  Hampton  was  considered  a  part 
of  that  colony  by  reason  of  improvements  made  with  the 
money  of  the  Massachusetts  people.  On  the  consummation 
of  this  union,  the  people  of  New  Hampshire  were  allowed  a 
privilege  which  was  remarkable,  considering  the  intolerance 
so  prevalent  at  that  time  ;  this  was,  that  they  might  act  in 
any  public  capacity  without  regard  to  their  religious  pro- 
fessions ;  although,  by  a  previous  law  of  Massachusetts, 
none  but  church  members  could  vote  on  town  affairs  or  hold 
seats  in  the  General  Court.  For  thirty-eight  years,  from 
1641  to  1679,  the  history  of  New  Hampshire  became 
merged  in  that  of  the  colony  of  which  she  became  a  con- 
stituent part.  For  the  next  hundred  years, — to  the  time 
3 


14  Historical  Sketch. 

when  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  made,  and  war 
with  Great  Britain  broke  out, — the  history  of  the  colonies 
is  the  history  of  Indian  wars  ; — wars  between  the  red  men, 
fighting  with  desperation  to  maintain  their  hunting  grounds 
and  the  fruitful  lakes  and  rivers  where  they  had  fished  from 
time  immemorial, — and  the  white  men,  eager  to  obtain  a 
foothold  in  the  land  of  their  adoption.  But  the  stranger, 
who  came,  in  the  first  place,  to  search  for  gold  and  silver, 
and  afterwards  to  till  the  soil  and  to  enjoy  religious  freedom, 
proved  too  strong  for  the  native  American,  who  gradually 
surrendered  his  lands,  and  sacrificed  his  people  in  merciless 
and  sanguinary  fights.  For  a  whole  century  the  savages 
made  war  upon  men,  women,  and  children  in  the  colonies 
everywhere.  New  Hampshire  became  separated  from 
Massachusetts  in  1680  by  a  royal  edict,  and  was  made  a 
royal  province  much  to  the  dislike  of  the  people,  who 
were  well  satisfied  with  the  government  they  already  pos- 
sessed. The  new  government  was  to  be  administered  by 
a  president  and  council  appointed  by  the  king.  Laws 
were  to  be  enacted  by  an  assembly.  The  form  of  gov- 
ernment was  simple,  and  as  liberal  as  could  have  been  ex- 
pected ;  and  in  order  to  make  it  more  acceptable,  the  king 
appointed  popular  men  to  office.  The  president,  John  Cutts, 
was  a  highly  esteemed  merchant  of  Portsmouth.  John 
Vaughn,  John  Gilman,  and  Richard  Waldron  were  of  the 
council.  The  royal  commission  was  received  at  Portsmouth 
on  the  first  of  January,  1(580.  The  gentlemen  accepted  their 
offices  with  great  reluctance,  and  only  through  the  fear  that, 
if  they  refused,  others,  who  would  not  regard  the  interests 
of  the  colony,  would  be  appointed.  They  published  the 
commission,  and  took  the  oath  of  office  on  the  twenty-second 


Historical  Sketch.  1  ,"> 

of  January,  and  called  an  assembly  which  met  on  the  six- 
teenth of  March.  At  the  time  of  this  election  there  were 
only  two  hundred  and  nine  voters  in  the  four  towns  of 
Portsmouth,  Dover,  Exeter,  and  Hampton.  The  assembly 
immediately  returned  thanks  to  the  Massachusetts  Colony 
for  their  former  protection,  expressed  regret  at  the  separa- 
tion} and  at  once  proceeded  to  form  a  code  of  laws. 

Among  the  capital  offences,  fifteen  in  number,  were 
idolatry,  blasphemy,  man-stealing,  treason,  and  witchcraft. 
Courts  were  established,  and  the  militia  was  organized  and 
put  under  the  command  of  Richard  Waldron,  of  the  Council. 

From  this  time  the  people  of  New  Hampshire  had  vary- 
ing fortunes  in  contending  with  the  Indians  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  royal  government  on  the  other.  The  clergy 
assumed  imperial  authority  in  spiritual  matters  and  in  civil 
affairs  as  well  ;  they  frequently  got  the  common  people  into 
trouble  both  in  the  management  of  the  church  and  in  their 
domestic  matters.  Inhabiting  a  new  country,  -surrounded 
by  a  fierce  and  deadly  foe, — compelled  to  labor  with  all 
their  power  to  supply  their  wants  and  to  protect  themselves 
from  danger, — they  had  little  inclination  or  opportunity  to 
cultivate  the  milder  graces  and  refinements  of  life.  The 
laws  of  Massachusetts  were  designed  to  form  a  government 
based  on  the  Bible,  and  modelled  to  a  considerable  extent 
after  the  Jewish  commonwealth.  The  drinking  of  healths 
and  the  use  of  tobacco  were  forbidden.  Pride  and  levity  of 
behavior  came  under  the  cognizance  of  the  magistrate.  The 
mode  of  dress  and  the  cut  of  the  hair  were  subject  to  state 
regulation.  For  the  women,  it  was  ordered  that  their 
sleeves  should  reach  down  to  the  wrist  and  their  gowns  be 
closed  around  the  neck.     Men  were  obliged  to  cut  short 


16  Historical  Sketch. 

their  hair  that  they  might  not  resemble  women.  These 
arbitrary  rules  had  more  in  view  than  the  political  good. 
They  were  framed  to  promote,  so  far  as  might  be,  real 
religion,  and  to  enforce  the  observance  of  the  divine  pre- 
cepts, according  to  the  interpretation  of  the  law-makers. 
Notwithstanding  their  mistaken  zeal,  there  is  much  in  the 
character  of  the  puritans  to  command  our  admiration, — 
much  that  is  worthy  of  our  approval  and  emulation.  They 
were  conscientious  and  moral  to  a  high  degree.  Intem- 
perance and  profanity  were  almost  unknown  among  them. 
They  realized  from  the  first  the  importance  of  education, 
and,  at  an  early  date,  founded  the  college  at  Cambridge. 
They  purchased  the  Indian  title  to  lands  which  had  already 
been  given  by  the  crown,  and  which  they  devoted  to  the 
maintenance  of  this  institution.  They  regarded  slavery  as 
inconsistent  with  the  natural  rights  of  man,  and  forbade  by 
law  the  buying  and  selling  of  human  beings,  excepting  such 
as  were  taken  in  war  or  reduced  to  slavery  for  crime.  It 
was  in  1645  that  the  General  Court  ordered  that  a  negro, 
kidnapped  from  Africa,  should  be  returned  to  his  home. 
Their  great  error  was  in  confounding  civil  and  religious 
authority.  Their  ministers  took  part  in  the  public  assem- 
blies, while  their  civil  magistrates  had  a  controlling  voice 
in  the  church.  Toleration  was  regarded  as  criminal,  and 
the  right  of  the  magistrate  to  employ  force  against  heretics 
and  unbelievers  was  strongly  insisted  upon. 

These  laws  may  be  found  on  the  statute  books  at  the 
present  day,  and  are  in  favor  with  a  class  of  people  to  be 
found  in  every  community  ; — men  and  women  who  thrive  on 
bigotry  and  superstition,  and  have  small  ideas  of  the  works 
of  the  Creator  and   the   true  philosophy   of  life.      These 


Historical  Sketch.  17 

sumptuary  laws  were  made  two  hundred  years  ago,  when 
there  was  less  enlightenment  than  there  is  to-day.  Yet  laws 
are  enacted  by  every  legislature  to  be  repealed  or  modified 
by  the  next ;  they  pertain  especially  to  the  liquor  traffic  and 
to  similar  trades  designed  to  restrict  the  evils  which  these 
trades  cause ;  but  they  fail  to  strike  at  the  root  of  the 
trouble.  The  remedy  for  these  evils  is  in  education  ;  and 
when  the  children  of  to-day  learn  the  precepts  of  honesty 
and  temperance,  and  of  true  moral  virtue,  we  may  expect, 
after  the  lapse  of  a  few  generations,  such  a  reconstruction 
of  society  as  will  reform  the  church  and  the  legislative  and 
judicial  parts  of  the  government ;  and  will  establish  equity 
and  justice,  and  domestic  tranquillity  and  happiness  in  fami- 
lies. When  the  institution  of  marriage  shall  be  held  more 
sacred,  we  shall  have  a  right  to  expect  less  crime,  less 
pauperism,  more  respect  for  the  good  order  of  society,  and 
a  decent  regard  for  the  opinions  of  others.  "In  hoc  signo 
vinces." 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton,  its  People,  and  its 
Academy. 

New  Hampton  is  a  picturesque  town,  situated  on  the 
Pemigewassett  river,  in  the  northern  part  of  what  is  now 
Belknap  County,  and  is  not  far  from  the  geographical 
centre  of  the  state.  It  is  thirty  miles  from  Concord  on  the 
south,  the  same  distance  from  Franconia  Notch  on  the 
north,  twelve  miles  from  Laconia  on  the  east,  and  the  same 
distance  from  Plymouth  on  the  north,  twelve  miles  from 
Tilton  on  the  south,  and  the  same  distance  from  Newfound 
Lake  in  Alexandria  on  the  west.  It  was  named  by  Gen. 
Jonathan    Moulton  after  his  native  town,   which,   like  the 


18  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

other  coast  towns,  was  settled  at  a  much  earlier  period. 
The  town  was  incorporated  in  1777,  two  years  after  its 
settlement;  and  in  tracing  its  history  for  the  next  fifty 
years,  I  shall  avail  myself  of  such  data  as  I  have  been  able 
to  obtain  from  reliable  sources.  Before  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  to  the  year  1800  there  is  but  little  to 
be  obtained.  For  the  early  records  of  all  towns  of  this 
period  are  very  imperfect  and  scanty.  During  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  and  for  twenty  years  following,  the  people 
were  busy  developing  townships  and  counties,  and  strength- 
ening state  governments  in  order  to  make  the  union  of 
states  stronger  and  more  permanent,  and  were  enthusiasti- 
cally endeavoring  to  secure  for  themselves  and  for  their 
children  an  enduring  republican  government.  Townships 
originally  comprised  large  tracts  of  land  and  were  fre- 
quently granted  to  those  who  were  ready  to  develop  them ; 
and  thus  it  was  that  Moulton,  in  1765,  was  able  to  secure 
the  territory  of  New  Hampton  and  Centre  Harbor  to  attach 
to  Moultonboro  for  the  gift  of  an  ox  to  Gov.  Wentworth. 
These  were  originally  one  town,  but  Centre  Harbor  was  set 
off  and  separately  incorporated  in  1797.  The  original 
settlers  of  these  northern  towns  (among  whom  my  ances- 
tors are  found  to  have  been  numbered  with  the  most 
active)  came  as  a  rule  from  the  southern  settlements  of 
the  state.  The  general  contour  of  New  Hampton  is 
irregular,  rough,  and  uneven,  made  up  of  hill  and  dale. 
The  hills  sloping  toward  the  south,  including  the  Magoon, 
the  Hanaford,  and  the  Harper  neighborhoods,  are  at  least 
two  weeks  earlier  in  the  spring,  than  the  opposite  side-hills 
sloping  to  the  north.  When  the  snow  and  ice  begin  to  melt 
away  in  the  spring,  the  stream  at  Harper's  and  Hoyt's  mills 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  1!) 

affords  abundant  power  for  lumber-sawing,  and  for  other 
purposes,  and  is  the  outlet  of  the  pond  which  finds  its  wax- 
by  rapid  falls  into  the  Pemigewassett  river  above  Brown's 
mills.  The  road  from  Kelley  Hill  to  the  William  B. 
Kelley  farm  is  very  steep,  and  in  old  times  a  chaise  with 
one  passenger  was  enough  load  for  a  strong  horse  to  pull 
up  to  the  top,  where  the  Flanders  road  comes  in.  On 
August  19,  1826,  there  occurred  a  memorable  thunder 
storm  lasting  little  more  than  an  hour,  which  washed  out 
Sinclair  Hill  from  the  Flanders  road  to  the  bottom,  leaving 
a  gulch  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  deep,  which  remains  at  this 
time  essentially  unchanged,  after  a  lapse  of  sixty  years. 
The  road  was  rebuilt  to  the  westward,  leaving  a  diamond- 
shaped  piece  of  land  of  about  two  acres  between  it  and  the 
gulch.  Another  notable  thunder  shower  occurred  on  a 
Sunday  afternoon  in  July,  1833,  lasting  about  the  same 
time  as  the  first,  which  carried  away  the  road  from  Enoch's 
brook  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  at  a  depth  of  from  two  to 
ten  feet,  uprooting  trees  and  washing  out  boulders  weigh- 
ing several  tons,  making  the  road  impassable  for  months. 
At  this  time  Peter  Hanaford,  his  wife,  and  a  student  were 
killed  by  lightning  at  the  old  "Institution,"  a  notice  of 
which  occurrence  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  work. 
Kelley  Hill,  or  the  Pinnacle,  is  perhaps  the  highest  land  in 
town,  and  certainly  affords  the  most  extended  view  in 
every  direction.  The  United  States  Coast  Survey  was 
located  here  for  months  a  few  years  ago.  From  its  summit 
can  be  seen  in  a  clear  day  the  Franconia  Notch,  and,  looking 
towards  Portland,  Mount  Washington  with  its  range,  Old 
White  Face  or  Chocorua,  Red  Hill  in  Centre  Harbor,  the 
Ossipee  Mountains,  Lake  Winnipiseogee,  and  Mount  Bel- 


20  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

knap  in  Gilmanton.  Monadnock  may  be  seen  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Waclmsett,  and,  looking  directly  west,  Kearsarge. 
A  charming  landscape  intervenes  in  every  direction.  This 
pinnacle  has  always  been  a  favorite  resort  of  the  students  at 
the  academy  for  a  period  covering  sixty-five  years,  and  so 
it  must  continue  indefinitely  to  be.  A  well  equipped  hotel 
(with  ample  stables)  located  on  its  eastern  slope,  would 
attract  those  seeking  for  invigorating  mountain  air  and 
delightful  scenery,  and  would  bo  a  good  investment.  It 
surprises  every  one  to  see  how  quickly  tired  natures,  old 
and  young,  begin  to  recruit  and  grow  strong  under  the 
change  from  the  city  to  these  high  lands  of  New  Hampshire. 
Nothing  would  more  add  to  the  attractions  of  the  town  and 
increase  values,  than  generous  provision  for  their  comfort. 

The  style  of  architecture  from  seventy-five  to  a  hundred 
years  ago  was  plain  and  simple,  and  there  was  much  less 
attempt  at  ornamentation  than  at  the  present  time.  The 
first  churches  were  built  without  spires,  but  the  interior 
was  constructed  with  the  idea  of  producing  the  best  acoustic 
effects,  and  the  workmanship  was  of  a  high  order.  A 
sounding-board  hung  over  the  head  of  the  preacher  and 
the  pulpit  raised  high  above  the  audience  had  many 
advantages  in  conveying  sound  to  the  patient  hearers 
below  ;  and  the  broad  aisles,  crossing  each  other,  and  com- 
municating with  the  front  entrance  and  with  those  at  either 
end  of  the  building,  afforded  excellent  facilities  for  exit  and 
entrance.  The  outer  doors  were  covered  with  porches, 
which  improved  their  appearance,  and  helped  to  keep  out 
the  cold  in  winter  and  the  heat  in  summer.  Wooden 
benches  were  built  in  front  of  the  pulpit  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the    deacons   of  the   church    during    service. 


Sketch  of  New  Hamilton.  21 

The  pews  were  square,  and  capacious  enough  to  accom- 
modate large  families.  There  was  no  provision  for  heating 
the  house ;  heavy  clothing,  and  foot  stoves  filled  with  live 
coals  were  used  to  keep  the  feet  warm,  and  to  warm 
the  milk  for  the  little  ones  during  the  interval  between  the 
services.  The  afternoon  service  began  at  one  o'clock  and 
ended  at  four. 

Dwelling-houses  were  commodious  and  warm,  the  frames 
being  hewn  out  of  the  best  lumber,  and  covered  with  boards 
and  with  shaven  shingles.  The  well-to-do  had  their  houses 
clapboarded,  and  painted  red  or  white  as  they  could  afford. 
The  barns  were  built  of  the  same  material  and  were  con- 
nected with  the  houses  by  long  sheds  in  order  to  shut  out 
the  bleak  winds.  The  wells  were  within  convenient  dis- 
tance, and  furnished  water  for  the  house  and  stock  ;  some- 
times the  drainage  from  the  outbuildings  found  its  way 
into  them,  engendering  fevers  and  other  diseases  preva- 
lent on  the  high  lands  in  the  country.  The  school-houses 
in  the  olden  times  were  made  for  comfort  rather  than  for 
elegance.  The  seats  were  built  on  raised  or  inclined 
planes  looking  toward  the  centre,  one  side  for  the  boys, 
and  the  other  for  the  girls.  Each  desk  accommodated 
two  pupils,  and  had  lids  opening  on  the  top  to  make  places 
for  books,  slates,  and  writing  materials.  The  master's  desk 
was  in  the  centre,  and  was  furnished  with  ferules,  both  flat 
and  round,  and  a  bundle  of  tough  withes  for  castigating 
dull  and  unruly  pupils.  There  was  a  chimney  at  cither  end 
of  the  house,  with  a  huge  fireplace  fed  with  half  a  cord  of 
green  wood  at  a  time  ;  and,  in  the  coldest  days  of  winter, 
the  fire  was  kept  roaring  that  the  house  might  be  comfort- 
able.    Reading,  writing,  ciphering,  and  grammar  were  the 


22  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

studies.  There  were  spelling-schools  in  the  evening,  when 
all  the  scholars  chose  sides  for  the  championship :  and, 
when  a  word  was  missed,  the  unlucky  scholar  must  be 
seated.  In  every  school  a  few  natural  spellers  were  found, 
who  could  stand  up  all  the  evening  on  the  hardest  words. 
The  old  district  schools  were  little  democracies,  where  the 
people  met  to  make  choice  of  one  of  their  number  to  hire 
the  teachers,  and  to  raise  money  to  pay  the  expenses. 
They  discussed  all  questions  pertaining  to  the  schools,  and 
every  one  had  a  lively  interest  in  the  discipline  and  advance- 
ment of  the  children.  They  felt  at  liberty  to  criticise  and 
make  suggestions,  and  the  talk  was  generally  good  natured 
and  interesting,  although,  at  times,  from  private  grievance 
and  pique,  it  became  acrimonious  and  bitter.  It  was  a  com- 
mon custom,  especially  in  the  winter  schools,  for  boys  to  test 
the  grit  and  stuff  of  the  teacher  by  trying  to  throw  him  out 
into  the  snow.  If  they  succeeded,  it  added  to  the  prowess 
of  the  boys,  and  was  far  more  to  their  advantage,  as  they 
thought,  than  hard  study.  The  first  week  of  the  school 
was  devoted  to  settling  the  question  who  should  rule, — the 
teacher,  or  the  big  boys.  If  in  favor  of  the  teacher,  the 
school  went  on  smoothly,  and  was  successful  ;  but  often  a 
timid  and  feeble  man  was  obliged  to  surrender  the  school 
to  one  of  more  muscular  ability.  Notwithstanding  these 
peculiarities  of  the  district  schools,  they  were  the  nurseries 
of  the  future  men  and  women  of  the  country.  Some  went 
out  from  them  to  the  academies,  and  became  the  business 
men  and  teachers  ;  a  few  found  their  way  into  the  col- 
leges, and  became  the  ministers,  lawyers,  and  physicians. 
They  were  sound  and  substantial  men  and  good  citizens. 
These  schools  are  still  to  be  found  in  the  country  towns 


Shetcli  of  New  Hampton.  23 

through  New  Hampshire  and  the  other  New  England  states, 
and  are  fostered  and  encouraged  as  far  as  the  financial  con- 
dition of  the  people  permit.  In  the  large  cities  a  different 
system  must  be  adopted.  Yet  the  pupils  of  these  country 
schools  will  compare  favorably  with  those  of  the  cities,  if 
we  consider  the  amount  of  money  expended  for  them.  To 
be  sure,  they  have  many  natural  advantages  for  sound 
health  and  good  training,  Avhich  the  children  of  large  cities 
cannot  or  do  not  enjoy. 

New  Hampton  furnishes,  among  other  natural  curiosities, 
— a  gorge  half  a  mile  or  more  in  length  in  the  road  connect- 
ing the  towTn  with  Sanbornton.  This  attracts  the  attention  of 
travellers  through  the  place,  and  has  always  been  visited  by 
the  pupils  of  the  academy.  It  is  situated  on  the  turnpike, 
or  staire  road,  between  Concord  and  the  White  Mountains. 
At  its  east  end  is  a  pond  which  is  reputed  to  have  no 
bottom,  as  no  plummet  has  ever  sounded  it.  This  pond 
supports  a  floating  bridge,  and  furnishes  a  variety  of  fish, 
including  perch  and  eels  of  large  size.  The  gorge  is 
heavily  wooded  on  both  sides,  the  trees  rising  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  reach.  Near  the  centre  of  this  dark  and  lone- 
some passage,  a  beautiful  cascade  comes  tumbling  over  the 
rocks  for  at  least  a  hundred  feet,  spreading  its  gorgeous 
spray,  glistening  at  midday  as  the  sun  looks  in  at  the  top 
of  the  mountain.  A  little  to  the  right  of  this  waterfall,  an 
immense  ledge  hangs  well  over  the  road,  with  a  square 
opening  in  the  centre  large  enough  to  admit  a  man.  This 
cavity  is  called  the  "Devil's  Den"  ;  and  the  story  goes,  that 
men  have  crawled  into  it  with  lighted  candles  only  to  meet 
his  satanic  majesty  and  have  the  flame  blown  out.  Legends 
connected  with  the  "Devil's  Den,"  and  with  many  other 


24  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

places  in  town,  were  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  boys,  and 
were  believed  to  be  veritable  truths  by  the  natives  in  olden 
times. 

A  Remarkable  Dream  and  its  Fulfilment. 

On  the  morning  of  Sunday,  July  7,  1833,  Lettuce 
Hanaford,  an  unusually  delicate,  clear  minded,  and  refined 
girl  about  twelve  years  old,  said  to  her  parents,  as  she 
came  down  to  breakfast,  "I  dreamed  last  night  that  uncle 
Peter's  house  was  struck  by  lightning,  and  that  uncle,  and 
aunt,  and  Hibbard  (the  second  son)  were  killed."  On  the 
following  Sunday,  Hibbard,  the  son,  went  to  the  Free-Will 
Baptist  meeting,  stopping  on  his  way  home  at  his  grand- 
mother's house,  where  Lettuce  lived.  He  had  been  there 
but  a  short  time,  when  a  messenger  came,  in  great  haste, 
announcing  that  uncle  Peter's  house  had  been  struck,  that 
several  persons  had  been  badly  injured,  and  that  three, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanaford  and  a  boarder  by  the  name  of 
Hobbs,  were  dead.  Mr.  Hobbs  was  one  of  six  boarders, 
students  in  the  academy.  The  shower  was  terrific,  two 
seeming  to  meet  overhead.  Mrs.  Hanaford,  hearing  an 
unusual  noise  and  hilarity  in  one  of  the  boarders'  rooms, 
admonished  the  inmates  of  the  impropriety  of  such  merri- 
ment at  that  time,  expressing  her  conviction  of  danger. 
As  she  stood  in  the  doorway,  with  her  hand  elevated,  two 
bolts  descended,  which  struck  the  poplar  trees  in  front  of 
the  house,  and,  leaving  them,  entered  the  roof,  and  passed 
down  through  two  different  rooms.  Mr.  Hobbs  was  in  one 
of  these,  reading  aloud,  when  the  bolt  struck  him.  He 
was  reading  the  dying  speech  of  some  one,  and  the  last 
words  heard  from  his  lips  were,   "My  time  has  come"; 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  25 

which  were  verified  in  :i  moment.  He  remained  sitting  in 
the  chair,  which  led  some  one  to  ask  if  he  were  hurt ;  there 
was  no  reply,  and  it  was  soon  discovered  that  he  was  dead. 
Mr.  Hanaford  was  in  the  room  below  with  an  infant  daugh- 
ter in  his  arms,  also  reading,  as  was  his  wont.  The  infant 
was  apparently  unharmed,  and  is  now  living  in  Manchester, 
N.  H.  The  whole  scene  was  one  of  terrific  import;  and 
consternation  and  grief  fell  on  the  community  like  a  por- 
tentous pall.  A  sermon  of  an  unusually  impressive  charac- 
ter was  preached  for  the  occasion  by  Elder  Dana.  Husband 
and  wife  were  buried  in  one  grave  (a  single  stone  marking 
the  spot  in  the  family  yard),  about  one  mile  north  of  their 
residence.  Their  house  was  at  the  time  partially  occupied 
by  the  Rev.  Salmon  Hibbard,  pastor  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  ;  and  it  was  for  him  that  Hibbard,  the  son 
referred  to,  who  is  now  Dr.  J.  H.  Hanaford,  of  Reading, 
Mass.,  was  named.  Six  children,  all  under  sixteen  years 
of  age,  were,  by  this  catastrophe,  left  orphans  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye.  Five  of  them  are  still  living.  The 
eldest  is  Prof.  Lyman  B.  Hanaford,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
Superintendent  of  Public  Schools.  He  led  in  the  idea  of 
getting  an  education  ;  all  of  the  others  attended  the  Acade- 
my of  their  native  town, — all  became  teachers,  for  a  time, 
at  least,  as  one  of  the  means  of  being  able  to  study,  mainly 
sustaining  themselves  by  their  own  efforts.  Dr.  J.  H. 
Hanaford  is  referred  to  at  length  in  another  place.  A 
sister,  Martha  Ann  Hanaford,  went  west  with  the  first  com- 
pany of  teachers  in  charge  of  Gov.  Slade  of  Vermont,  and 
afterwards  married  Rev.  Amasa  Lord.  She  lives  now  at 
Elgin,  Illinois.  The  next  son,  Charles  R.  Hanaford,  is 
also  at  the  west,  while  the  youngest  is  at  Manchester,  N.  H. 


26  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

They  have  survived  their  parents  more  than  fifty  years,  and 
have  been  remarkably  prosperous  and  successful. 

During  an  afternoon  and  night  in  April,  1826,  there 
was  a  furious  shower  along;  the  range  of  hills  between 
New  Hampton  and  Meredith.  The  rude  state  of  the  roads 
was  such  that,  with  no  modern  methods  of  preventing 
damage  from  rains,  and  with  the  rain  falling  rapidly  and 
incessantly,  as  it  did,  it  was  not  strange  that  the  water 
ran  from  the  fields  and  the  pastures  into  the  road,  making 
it  little  less  than  a  temporary  river  having  a  descent  which 
was  calculated  to  do  much  damage.  In  the  road  there 
was  about  one  mile  where  the  descent  was  very  steep  for 
a  considerable  part  of  the  way.  It  was  a  dark  and  fearful 
night ;  and  the  howling  of  the  winds,  and  the  roar — the 
precise  nature  of  which  was  not  then  known — were  truly 
appalling.  On  the  next  morning  it  was  discovered  that 
almost  the  entire  road-bed  had  been  washed  out, — carried,  a 
shapeless  mass,  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  near  the  residence  of 
Col.  William  B.  Kelley.  The  gullies  thus  made  were  to  the 
depth  of  from  six  to  eight  or  ten  feet,  utterly  destroying  the 
road.  It  was  found  necessary  to  build  a  new  one  to  the 
westward  ;  abandoning  this.  A  slight  increase  of  distance 
was  caused,  which  was  compensated  for  by  a  decrease  of 
ascent.  Considering  the  customs  of  that  time,  it  may  seem 
a  little  remarkable  that  our  forefathers  did  not  run  the  road 
directly  over  the  brow  of  the  pinnacle,  which  was  so  near 
it,  and  which,  so  far  as  I  know,  is  the  only  hill  of  much  im- 
portance which  has  no  road  directly  over  its  summit.  An 
idea  seemed  to  prevail  that,  either  the  best  soil  or  the  best 
sites  for  their  homes  were  on  the  hills  ;  or,  there  may  have 
been  a  belief  that  they  were  thus  a  little  more  removed  from 


/Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  27 

the  Indians.  In  those  clays,  when  carriages  were  relatively 
unknown, — when  the  husband  took  his  wife  on  a  pillion 
behind  him  on  horseback, — it  was  not  so  much  of  a  circum- 
stance to  ascend  such  towering  hills  as  we  now  consider 
it.  Indeed,  there  was  but  little  pleasure-riding ;  going  to 
the  meetings,  to  mill,  etc.,  being  the  most  important  trav- 
elling. A  little  before  my  day,  it  was  said  that,  when  corn 
was  taken  to  the  mill  on  the  back  of  the  horse,  a  stone  was 
put  into  one  end  of  the  bag  to  serve  as  a  balance,  instead 
of  dividing  the  corn,  with  half  in  each  end. 

The  land  on  which  the  town  of  New  Hampton  was  built, 
and  also  that  of  Centre  Harbor,  belonged  to  one  man,  a  gift 
from  the  Governor,  in  exchange  for  the  present  of  a  fat 
ox.  I  think  that  most  of  the  early  settlers  came  from 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  state  ;  some,  probably,  from 
Hampton  on  the  seashore.  They  were  a  hardy,  industri- 
ous and  honest  people,  having  an  abundance  of  work  on 
hand  in  subduing  the  virgin  soil  and  clearing  the  forests,  a 
dense  and  valuable  tract.  Tramps  were  then  unknown, 
although  an  occasional  straasfler  was  seen.  House-break- 
ing  was  unusual,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  use  of  locks 
and  bolts  was  almost  unknown.  In  my  earliest  recollection 
the  windows  were  raised  in  the  warm  season  and  the  outer 
doors  were  generally  unfastened.  The  cost  of  living  was 
so  slight,  the  clothing  so  meagre, — in  contrast  with  the 
present  day, — that  it  was  deemed  no  very  difficult  matter  to 
earn  all  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  the  luxuries  being  scarcely 
dreamed  of, — much  less  enjoyed. 

Sixty-five  years  !  What  lights  and  shadows  have  flitted 
before  us  !  what  sorrows  and  joys  !  what  fortune  and  mis- 
fortune !    what   changes    have    occurred    in    the    scientific 


28  Sketch  of  Neio  Hampton. 

world  !  what  still  more  noteworthy  ones  in  the  general  state 
of  society,  in  the  customs,  habits,  and  tendencies  of  the  age  ! 
When  I  was  a  lad,  the  India-rubber  was  mainly  used  (as 
its  name  indicates)  for  erasing  pencil  marks,  made,  then, 
from  the  real  lead,  though  an  occasional  solid  ball  might 
be  found,  and  a  very  rude  overshoe  made  from  the  pure 
gum  ;  which  had  no  claim  to  beauty  or  comeliness.  Now 
it  would  be  difficult  to  enumerate  the  uses  for  which  it  is 
manufactured  ;  it  is  made  into  articles  for  ornament,  for 
convenience,  and  for  comfort.  Then  we  rode  two  days  by 
stage  to  get  to  Boston,  at  a  cost  of  five  dollars ;  the  mer- 
chant being  five  days  from  home,  one  of  which  was  spent 
in  trading.  Now  the  same  is  done  in  less  than  half  the 
time,  with  less  than  half  the  cost.  There  were  then  no 
dreams  of  railroads.  Their  shrill  whistles  now  penetrate 
our  retired  solitudes.  We  then  had  no  books  which  were 
beautiful ;  all  was  rude,  comparatively  ;  no  pictures  were 
worthy  the  name,  while  this  has  become  an  age  of  pictures, 
well  adapted  to  mold  the  tastes  of  the  young.  I  recall  the 
profile  cut  with  scissors  from  black  silk;  and  the  "Da- 
guerreotype," a  fair  view  of  which  we  could  get  by  accident. 
The  average  child  went  barefooted  during  the  mild  weather, 
and  most  of  our  present  necessities  and  comforts  were 
unknown  or  were  superfluous  luxuries. 

The  author  has  been  fortunate  in  obtaining  for  the  follow- 
ing sketch  of  New  Hampton  and  its  people  the  living  testi- 
mony of  men  who  were  born  there,  including  clergymen, 
physicians,  lawyers,  and  laymen. 

Fifty  years  ago  he  knew  the  "Brook  Meeting-house  "  in 
the  third  division  of  Meredith,  just  east  of  the  line  between 
that  town  and  New  Hampton.     The  Church  was  organized 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  29 

about  1837  by  the  Free-Will  Baptists,  and  meetings  were 
held  there  for  many  years,  and  were  supplied  in  turn  by 
ciders,  among  whom  were  John  Pettingill,  Stevens,  Per- 
kins, Dana,  and  Ebenezer  Fisk.  Mr.  Fisk  is  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  these  celebrated  preachers,  and  resides  at  present 
with  his  son  in  Jackson,  Michigan.  He  has  very  kindly 
furnished  me  with  the  following  original  papers,  which  I 
give  as  they  came  from  his  pen  : 

"Jackson,  Michigan,  December  30,  1887. 

"Among  the  first  settlers  in  the  southwest  end  of  New 
Hampton  was  Moses  Carter,  who  built  his  house  on  the 
southeastern  slope  of  the  high  land  near  the  Sanbornton 
Mountains.  When  in  want  of  recruits,  he  went  to  Concord 
and  took  two  bushels  of  corn  upon  his  shoulder,  a  heavy 
axe  in  one  hand  and  a  large  bundle  in  the  other,  and  then 
walked  home  some  thirty  miles.  Just  over  the  hill  on  the 
northern  slope  was  Enoch  Gordon,  who,  with  oxen  and 
chains,  dragged  his  boards  on  the  ground  from  Harper's 
Mills,  some  three  miles,  to  cover  his  buildings.  Near  him 
was  Mr.  Sanborn,  for  many  years  confined  to  his  bed  with 
rheumatism,  which  has  sadly  marked  his  posterity.  Next 
was  Darby  Kelley,  whose  honored  wife  died  at  the  advanced 
age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years.  His  youngest  son,  by 
far  the  wealthiest  man  in  the  place,  was  drowned.  At  the 
extreme  lower  end  was  Mr.  Borden,  whose  delicate  wife 
could  not  endure  the  noise  and  strife  of  wolves,  bears,  and 
catamounts,  and  left  the  settlement.  In  speaking  distance 
from  this  last,  was  Noah  Buzzell  with  his  hardy  family,  who 
defied  the  forest  races,  but  were  annoyed  by  the  noisy 
frogs,  and  threw  poison  into  the  pool.     A  mile  to  the  west 


30  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

of  Buzzell,  Ebenezer  Wells  located  ;  who,  being  appointed 
collector  of  taxes,  traversed  the  town  two  or  three  times  on 
foot,  and,  failing  to  get  his  tax  from  the  poor  farmers,  sold 
a  pair  of  his  own  cattle  and  paid  forty  dollars  to  the  town, 
never  afterwards  calling  on  the  delinquents. 

"The  next  lot  north  was  owned  by  Daniel  Darling,  who 
paid  its  price  with  an  axe  and  lever,  by  cutting  pine  lumber 
and  rolling  it  into  the  river,  and  selling  it  for  one  dollar  per 
M.  This  farm  was  purchased  by  Rev.  David  Fisk,  of  Bos- 
cawen,  N.  H.,  who  took  possession  in  March,  1803,  and 
kept  it  until  his  death,  February  9,  1834.  It  then  became 
the  property  of  Rev.  Ebenezer  Fisk,  and  was  his  homestead 
until  1880. 

"Rev.  David  Fisk,  soon  after  his  arrival  in  town,  organ- 
ized the  Second  Free-Will  Baptist  Church  in  New  Hampton, 
and  was  its  devoted  and  highly  esteemed  pastor  until  his 
death.  He  established  other  churches  out  of  town,  and 
bestowed  much  time  and  labor  on  them,  mostly  at  his  own 
expense.  After  his  decease  the  pastorate  devolved  upon  his 
son  Ebenezer,  who  had  shared  it  in  common  with  his  honored 
father  for  some  years,  and  who  continued  his  watchful  care 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  until  he,  with  his  church  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  members,  united  with  the  Meredith 
and  New  Hampton  church  to  worship  at  the  village.  Thus 
ended  the  Fisk  pastorate  which  had  been  of  more  than  a 
half  century's  duration.  The  Fisk  meeting-house,  cen- 
trally located,  had  for  many  years  with  its  means  of  grace 
a  salutary  influence, — promoting  extensive  revivals,  with  a 
large  share  of  the  citizens  in  church  membership.  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Fisk  is  now  in  his  eighty-sixth  year  of  age,  and 
is  living  with  his  son,  Rev.  D.  M.  Fisk,  pastor  of  a  large 


jPW**k 


)'Uze4.    (D<fre<n.<e4,e4    (S$id-/£-. 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  31 

church,  in  the  city  of  Jackson,  Mich.  The  section  of  New 
Hampton  where  the  Fisks  lived  is  a  narrow  strip  of  land 
which  is  washed  by  the  Pemigewassett  on  the  northwesterly 
side,  and  is  on  the  southeasterly  walled  in  by  uninhab- 
itable hills  of  uneven  surface  and  varied  soil,  formerly 
heavily  timbered.  On  the  one  road  leading  from  the  village 
to  Hill  and  Sanbornton,  with  its  branches  to  Bristol,  were 
established  most  of  the  families ;  the  whole  number  up  to 
1880  was  :  families,  229  ;  children,  some  over  800  ;  cente- 
narians, 3, — Mrs.  Andrew  Farmer,  reported  to  be  108, 
Sarah  Kelley,  103,  Sally  Tilton,  101.  A  large  number 
have  lived  to  be  over  ninety." 

"It  seems  to  us  somewhat  curious  that  such  specimens 
of  humanity  as  were  the  first  settlers  of  New  Hampton 
should  locate  so  widely  apart,  and  on  such  high  grounds. 
But  to  these  men  the  original  proprietors  ottered  special 
inducements  to  settle  and  give  character  to  the  district. 
Those  having  the  choice  of  lots  judged  that  the  best  soil 
lay  beneath  the  heaviest  timber;  so  we  find  Noah  Robin- 
son,— a  man  of  commanding  influence,  who  for  more  than 
twenty  years  was  elected  moderator  of  the  town  meetings, 
and  whose  posterity  the  people  have  delighted  to  honor, — 
planting  himself  on  the  high  lands  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  town,  in  a  roadless  wilderness.  To  the  west  was  a 
Mr.  Smith,  father  of  Obadiah,  a  successful  farmer  and  mer- 
chant,— and  David  Smith,  famous  for  collecting  taxes  ;  who 
took  his  position  on  the  heights  two  miles  south  of  Ash- 
land, at  the  head  of  what  was  afterwards  a  small  village. 
Southwest  of  Smith,  some  three  miles,  Captain  Hanaford, 
a  man  of  indomitable  energy  and  endurance,  had  made  an 
opening;    piling  his  logs   by  day,   and  burning  them  by 


32  Sketch  of  JVew  Hampton. 

night ;  reaping  his  grain  with  a  sickle,  and  threshing  it 
with  a  flail  by  moonlight ;  gathering  corn  by  starlight, 
and  husking  the  livelong  night,  without  benefit  of  candles. 
Next  conies  up  from  Poplin,  James  Gordon,  aiming  for  the 
pinnacle  on  Kelley  Hill.  He  came  by  way  of  Meredith 
Centre,  found  here  the  end  of  the  road,  and,  packing  what 
furniture  he  could  on  a  hand-sled,  with  Benny  the  babe  on 
top,  the  family  started  upon  the  crust  of  a  deep  snow  ;  but 
by  ten  o'clock  the  crust  was  too  weak  to  bear  them  up,  and 
too  sharp  for  their  sinking  limbs.  The  cow  must  be  left 
tied  to  a  tree  ;  and  the  sled  must  be  dragged  over  their 
bloody  tracks,  up  the  rugged  hills  of  Chemung,  to  the  camp 
which  was  to  be  their  future  home.  These  enterprising 
pioneers  blew  their  trumpets  upon  the  hill-tops  ;  and  the 
flood  of  incoming  settlers  was  surprising,  changing  the 
wilderness  to  fruitful  fields  ;  the  price  of  land  went  up, 
from  a  free  gift  of  choice  lots  to  first  settlers,  to  ten  dollars 
per  acre  for  common  lots.  The  rapid  increase  of  inhabit- 
ants made  moral  and  educational  influences  a  necessity. 
Rev.  Noah  Ward  from  Plymouth  moved  into  town  and 
preached  to  the  people  until  he  was  so  old  and  feeble  as 
to  require  his  son  Noah  to  carry  him  in  his  arms  both  into 
and  out  of  the  pulpit.  In  the  year  1799,  Rev.  Winthrop 
Young,  of  Canterbury, — a  lion  in  strength,  a  lamb  in  spirit, 
— came  to  New  Hampton  and  labored  in  what  is  justly 
called  the  great  revival,  lasting  twenty  months,  and  extend- 
ing to  every  school-district  in  town. 

"On  January  6,  1800,  a  Free-Will  Baptist  Church  of 
sixty-four  members  was  organized,  having  its  centre  in  the 
Hanaford  district,  where  the  hardest  battles  had  been  fought 
and  greatest  victories  gained,  and  where  soon  after  a  house 


Sketch  of  N~eiv  Hampton.  33 

of  worship  was  built  for  its  benefit.  In  the  midst  of  this 
revival  the  town  proceeded  to  settle  a  minister  in  the  legal 
manner;  and  on  March  20,  1800,  at  a  public  meeting-,  duly 
notified,  it  was  voted  to  settle  the  Rev.  Salmon  Hibbard 
as  a  gospel  minister,  seventy-three  votes  for  and  forty-five 
against,  and  the  meeting  adjourned  to  May  5.  At  this 
meeting,  a  remonstrance  signed  by  forty-six  Free-Will 
Baptists  was  presented  to  the  selectmen,  refusing  to  pay 
parish  taxes  to  other  than  their  own  minister;  also  a 
petition  for  the  privilege  of  holding  yearly  and  quarterly 
meetings  in  the  meeting-house.  The  request  being  granted, 
the  New  Durham  Quarterly  Meeting  convened  on  the 
twenty-first  of  the  same  month.  Possibly  this  may  be  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  on  record.  Many  of  the  churches 
reported  great  reformations  and  large  additions  of  mem- 
bers. The  New  Hampton  church  of  recent  birth,  reported 
ninety-four  added  by  baptism  since  last  January,  and  now 
at  this  meeting  twenty  candidates  are  led  down  in  a  watery 
grave,  and  raised  by  the  strong  arm  of  Mr.  Young,  who  had 
been  instrumental  in  their  conversion.  At  their  commun- 
ion over  two  hundred  participated.  The  next  day  all  busi- 
ness was  suspended  for  four  hours,  to  give  vent  to  out-gush- 
ing devotion.  The  third  day  a  new  impulse  seemed  to  be 
given  to  the  reformation,  and  the  whole  forenoon  wTas  spent 
in  confessing  sins  and  praying  for  mercy  and  pardon,  and 
praising  God  for  salvation.  This  remarkable  unction  was 
felt  in  town,  and  out  of  town.  Young  men  from  Bridge- 
water,  who  said  they  had  never  heard  a  gospel  sermon  in 
their  lifetime,  went  home  from  these  meetings  with  new 
hearts,  and  formed  a  church  in  their  own  town  the  same 
year.      Holderuess  became  a  preaching  station,   and  also 


34  Sketch  of  N~eir  Hampton. 

Centre  Harbor,  and  the  Mooney  district  in  the  western  part 
of  Meredith.  These  were  all  supplied  for  many  years  by 
New  Hampton  preachers,  viz.  :  Josiah  Magoon,  who  com- 
menced preaching  before  coming  to  New  Hampton,  but  was 
not  ordained  ;  and  Simeon  Dana,  a  well  educated  physician 
of  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  one  of  the  early  converts  in  this  revival, 
and  who  soon  became  a  most  acceptable  and  useful  minister, 
as  well  as  a  reliable  doctor.  He  and  Magoon  were  ordained 
December  8,  1803.  Thomas  Perkins,  a  promising  youth 
who  was  blessed  with  a  remarkable  gift  in  prayer  and 
exhortation,  made  his  mark;  in  181(>  he  was  set  apart  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry  by  the  laying  on  of  hands.  These 
three  elders  were  members  of  the  same  church,  and  all 
preached  in  the  same  pulpit  in  town  and  at  out  parts  as 
agreed  upon,  from  early  manhood  to  ripe  old  age,  without  a 
jar,  and  were  only  separated,  one  by  one,  by  the  hand  of 
death.  This  great  change  in  public  sentiment  left  the  Con- 
gregational element  in  town  quite  small,  and  Mr.  Hibbard, 
after  several  efforts  to  build  up  his  society,  decided  to  seek 
a  wider  field  of  usefulness,  and  went  to  New  York  ;  for 
many  years  no  settled  pastor  supplied  his  place." 

"It  was  interesting  to  me  when  a  boy,  to  listen  to  old 
Esquire  William  Pattee  and  others  telling  the  story  of  their 
adventures  when  surveying  the  town  of  New  Hampton  and 
other  towns  in  the  vicinity,  then  an  unbroken  forest,  show- 
ins  but  few  marks  of  civilization.  The  graves  of  Indians 
were  well  defined,  and  the  writer  removed  the  remnants 
of  an  Indian  wigwam  from  his  father's  plough  field,  and 
dug  up  earthen  ware  splendidly  ornamented.  Occasionally, 
too,  a  hatchet  was  found,  and  arrows.  But  the  approach 
of  the  white  man  with  his  improved  methods  of  operation 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  35 

soon  made  the  welkin  ring-  with  the  noi.se  of  many  axes  laid 
at  the  roots  of  the  trees.  Solitude  had  no  especial  charms 
for  these  noble  heroes,  any  more  than  for  Alexander  Selkirk 
during  his  solitary  abode  on  the  Island  of  Juan  Fernandez  ; 
— so  changing  work  was  a  common  practice.  In  the  month 
of  June,  the  leaves  being  well  developed,  strong  men  came 
whistling  through  the  woods,  often  with  bare  head  and  feet, 
with  tow  and  linen  shirt  and  tow  pants  buttoned  snug  above 
the  hips,  and  no  suspenders.  And  now  we  have  the  plan- 
ning how  to  aecomplish  the  most  with  the  least  work.  A 
tree  is  found  which  is  sure  to  fall  in  a  given  direction,  then 
all  the  trees  in  its  range  are  partly  cut,  and  this  tree  is  let 
to  fall  upon  them,  the  whole  coming  with  a  roaring  crash, 
and  the  men  shouting  'Nobody  hurt.'  In  August  the 
neighbors  were  called  together  again,  to  see  the  conflagra- 

O  CO7  c? 

tion  and  to  prevent  harm.  Since  the  heavy  timbers  to  be 
cleared  off  required  several  hands,  the  jolly  neighbors  were 
much  like  one  family  ;  the  matrons  and  misses  were  not  a 
whit  behind  in  their  social  habits.  Visiting  from  house  to 
house  was  a  popular  affair,  with  quiltings,  apple-bees,  and 
huskings ;  spinning  frolics,  too  (as  they  were  then  called), 
were  in  vogue,  the  young  ladies  taking  their  spinning 
wheels  upon  their  shoulders  and  walking  from  one  to  two 
miles;  then  it  was  to  see  who  could  spin  the  largest  num- 
ber of  skeins  in  a  day.  When  the  girls  became  tired  they 
were  highly  favored,  for  it  was  then  that  a  club  of  robust 
lads  would  take  home  their  wheels,  and  would  be  repaid  by 
a  permission  to  stop  for  rest. 

"But  by  far  the  strongest  and  most  enduring  ties  of  social 
life  were  cemented  by  the  religious  element.  To  know 
that  we  are  called  by  one  hope  of  our  calling,  one    Lord, 


36  Sketch  of  Nevj  Hampton. 

one  faith,  one  baptism,  and  that  we  are  members  one  of 
another,  is  a  strong  connecting  link  ;  hearts  melted  together 
by  divine  power  have  cords  not  easily  broken.  This  ele- 
ment of  Christian  union  was  fanned  to  a  flame  by  Rev. 
Winthrop  Young,  and  sustained  by  the  godly  lives  and 
faithful  ministry  of  Revs.  Josiah  Magoon,  Simeon  Dana, 
and  Thomas  Perkins  in  the  northerly  part  of  the  town ; 
and  by  the  Fisks  in  the  southerly  ; — by  Noah  Ward,  Salmon 
Hibbard,  Holt  McMartin,  Farnsworth  Brown,  and  Eli  B, 
Smith  at  the  centre ;  and  by  Dr.  Perkins  and  others  at  the 
village.  From  these  four  gushing  fountains,  springing  up 
into  everlasting  life,  multitudes  of  sin-sick  souls  have  drunk 
the  healing  waters  and  have  been  made  whole.  In  one 
special  effort  of  six  weeks,  near  three  hundred  baptized 
converts  were  added  to  the  churches.  Added  to  these 
means  of  grace,  was  the  far-famed  New  Hampton  Institu- 
tion,— conceived  in  poverty,  and  nursed  by  benevolence  ; 
its  teachers  God-fearing  men,  and  a  large  class  of  pious 
students  in  theology  giving  cast  to  the  whole  school,  bring- 
ing the  class  of  students  whose  aims  were  noble,  as  their 
history  shows.  With  these  facts,  it  is  no  wonder  that  Dr. 
J.  H.  Hanaford,  of  Reading,  Mass.,  who  was  a  native  of 
the  town  and  of  the  fourth  generation  from  Captain  Hana- 
ford, one  of  the  first  settlers,  should  say  in  the  Bristol 
Enterprise  that  locks,  and  bolts,  and  bars  were  little  used 
in  his  early  days. 

"New  Hampton  was  divided  into  sixteen  school-districts, 
and  the  ordinary  appliances  provided.  At  an  earty  day  an 
academy  was  established  at  the  centre  of  the  town,  which 
under  the  fostering  care  of  the  Calvinistic  Baptists  soon 
grew  to  be  a  first  class  literary  and  theological  institution. 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  37 

The  guide-boards  in  the  adjacent  towns  point  their  lone 
ringers  to  New  Hampton  Institution.  I  have  written  thus 
far  with  the  understanding  that  you  wanted  facts  as  they 
were  fifty  years  ago." 

"(Signed),  Ebenezek  Fisk." 

Ministers  and  Churches  of  New  Hampton. 

Rev.  Salmon  P.  Hibbard  was  settled  as  a  Congregational 
minister  at  New  Hampton,  March  20,  1800,  and  was 
ordained  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  the  following  June.  The 
church  had  a  membership,  in  1801,  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  persons  ;  but  it  became  reduced,  in  1820,  to 
twelve  members,  and  the  meetings  were  discontinued. 
A  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Col.  Rufus  G.  Lewis, 
October  7,  1842,  and  the  church  was  formally  dissolved, 
the  nineteen  members,  then  on  the  records,  receiving  letters 
to  the  church  at  Bristol.  The  Baptist  Church  at  the  com- 
mon was  organized  in  1782,  and  continued  in  a  prosperous 
condition  for  seventy  years, — until  1852.  It  afterwards 
had  a  feeble  existence  in  the  old  Brook  meeting-house,  and 
then  removed  to  the  new  location  midway  between  the  old 
common  and  the  village.  Its  membership  became  small  after 
the  change  in  the  Academy,  and  meetings  were  held  only 
at  intervals,  and  were  finally  discontinued.  Whether  the 
church  was  ever  dissolved,  and  who  has  possession  of  the 
records  and  movable  property,  the  writer  is  unable  to  state. 
The  church  at  the  upper  end  of  the  town,  which  was  known 
as  the  Dr.  Dana  meeting-house,  is  closed,  and  the  meetings 
are  discontinued.  The  writer  recollects  the  meetings  in 
this  place  in  1840,  in  Millerite  days,  when  the  clergy  and 
laity  were  pouring  forth,  without  stint,  the  vials  of  wrath 
6 


38  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

upon  the  sinners  and  the  unconverted.  The  latter  days  and 
the  end  of  the  world  seemed  so  real  to  ignorant  people, 
that  men  lost  interest  in  worldly  things,  and  made  such 
preparation  for  their  future  life  as  seemed  fitting  to  them. 
The  present  Frce-Will  Baptist  Church  at  the  village  is  the 
only  house  in  town  where  meetings  are  held  regularly. 
The  meeting-house  is  comparatively  new,  and  is  in  a  very 
good  state  of  repair.  The  church  was  organized  about  1837 
at  Merrill's  Brook  in  Meredith,  and  Elder  Ebenezer  Fisk, 
Elder  Perkins,  John  Pettengill,  and  others  preached  there. 
Captain  Levi  Smith,  Joseph  Gordon,  and  other  laymen  used 
to  make  powerful  exhortations  after  the  sermon  ;  while  the 
music,  with  the  Plummers  and  other  good  singers  in  the 
seats,  and  a  bass-viol,  violin,  and  French  horn,  was  very 
attractive.  The  whole  exercises  were  stirring  and  enjoya- 
ble. Elder  Prescott  is  pastor  of  the  church  now  under  the 
patronage  of  the  school,  which  is  in  a  vigorous  and  healthy 
condition.  Rev.  J.  Newton  Brown  was  connected  with  the 
old  school  about  1840,  and  was  a  man  of  eminent  piety,  and 
learned  in  theology.  His  wife  was  a  common-sense  woman, 
who  attended  faithfully  to  the  worldly  affairs  of  the  com- 
munity. Eli  B.  Smith  was  at  the  head  of  the  faculty  of  the 
old  school,  and  preached  occasionally  at  Mr.  Brown's 
church.  He  was  a  devout  man  on  Sundays,  but  was  a  good 
deal  of  a  horse  jockey  on  week  days.  Rev.  David  Dear- 
born, who  is  now  living,  preached  occasionally  at  the  Baptist 
Church  at  New  Hampton,  after  1852.  He  is  a  strong 
preacher,  a  sincere  Baptist  of  the  John  Calvin  theology, 
and  a  very  useful  citizen  of  the  town  ;  although  quite  old, 
his  clerical  duties  do  not  yet  unfit  him  for  manual  labor 
and  employments  essential  in  a  farming  community.     He 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  39 

has  acted  as  pastor  of  the  church  at  Piper's  Mills  at 
Meredith  for  many  years.  Rev.  Elias  L.  Magoon,  D.D., 
who  died  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  November  25,  1886,  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  clergymen  who  prepared 
for  college  at  New  Hampton.  He  was  horn  October  20, 
1810,  and  was  consequently  seventy-six  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  graduated  from  New  Hampton 
about  1834,  and  was  an  active  member  of  the  Literary 
Adelphi.  He  was  a  son  of  Elder  Josiah  Magoon  of  New 
Hampton,  and  brother  of  Martin  L.  Magoon,  who  died  at 
Medford,  Mass.,  in  1831,  and  of  Capt.  John  C.  Magoon 
of  Medford. 

Physicians  of  New  Hampton. 

Dr.  Isaac  Doton  was  the  oldest  physician  whom  I 
remember  as  practicing  here  seventy-five  years  ago.  He 
subsequently  moved  to  Manchester,  and  died  there  in 
1865.  I  append  a  sketch  prepared  by  his  son-in-law, 
Alfred  Rowe : — 

"Dr.  Isaac  Doton  was  the  son  of  Ephraim  Doton,  who 
married  Susanna  Morse,  February  10,  1785.  Isaac  was 
born  at  Moultonborough,  August  28,  1790,  and  died 
August  18,  1865,  at  Manchester,  N.  H.  He  was  married 
at  New  Hampton,  December  15,  1815,  to  Mary  F.  Smith, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Smith.  She  died  July  3,  1824.  Their 
only  child,  Susan  M.  Doton,  was  born  at  New  Hampton, 
May  12,  1817,  and  married  Alfred  Rowe  at  Rockingham, 
Vt.,  September  4,  1837.  Dr.  Doton  received  his  degree 
at  Dartmouth,  commenced  practice  at  New  Hampton  about 
1813,  and  had  a  large  practice  there  till  1835,  when  he 
moved  to  Alstead,  N.  H.,  and  successively  to  Rockingham 


40  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

(Saxton's  Kiver),  Vt.,  Cornish  Flats,  and  Bradford,  N.  H., 
a  year  or  so  in  each.  Thence  he  moved  to  Lowell,  remain- 
ing several  years.  From  Lowell  he  went  to  Manchester, 
where  he  practiced  until  his  death.  He  married  May  16, 
1825,  at  New  Hampton,  Betsey  M.  McCrillis,  and  they  had 
three  children,  William,  Sarah  Jane,  and  Lizzie  P.  Mrs. 
Sarah  Jane  Goldsmith  of  Lowell  is  the  only  survivor." 

Dr.  Simeon  Dana  was  among  the  early  and  successful 
medical  men  of  the  town,  he  and  Dr.  Doton  being  the  only 
ones  familiar  to  me  in  my  early  boyhood  ;  the  latter  was 
located  at  the  lower  village  (Smith's),  and  the  former  one 
or  two  miles  to  the  north  of  the  Institution.  Though  Dr. 
Dana  had  a  very  extensive  medical  practice,  he  preached 
one-third  of  the  time  in  the  Free-Will  meeting  house,  asso- 
ciated with  Thomas  Perkins  and  Josiah  Magoon.  They 
were  called  elders.  Perkins  and  Magoon  were  farmers. 
It  was  not  then  the  custom,  and  was  not  considered  reputa- 
ble to  pay  a  stated  salary  to  ministers,  though  personal 
presents  were  not  considered  out  of  order.  The  farmer- 
preachers  had  a  very  limited  education  and  might  not  have 
been  as  acceptable  us  they  were  if  they  had  been  "school 
larnt ! "  In  the  later  years  of  their  lives  it  is  probable 
that  their  personal  views  were  considerably  modified,  as 
Elias  Lyman  Magoon,  a  son  of  the  elder,  was  in  the 
Academy ;  and  the  elder  was  known  to  give  great  en- 
couragement to  the  students. 

It  is  not  strange  that  a  man  so  highly  esteemed  as  was 
Dr.  Dana — so  universally  respected  and  confided  in — a  man 
of  unswerving  integrity  and  honesty — should  have  an  ex- 
tensive practice.  He  was  moderate  in  his  charges, — the  fee 
was  twenty-five  cents  a  visit  as  I  now  remember, — and  he 


Sketch  of  JSFeio  Hampton.  41 

was  unwilling  to  trouble  or  oppress  the  poor.  His  circuit 
was  through  the  town  and  in  several  of  the  adjoining  and 
neighboring  towns,  in  which  he  might  have  been  seen  ;lt 
almost  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night,  jogging  along  on 
horseback  with  his  well-tilled  saddle-bags.  Prescriptions 
were  then  unknown.  The  bags  were  principally  filled  with 
packages  of  "roots  and  herbs."  This  statement  might  Lead 
to  the  inference  that  he  was  an  "eclectic"  physician  ;  but 
the  term  was  then  unheard  of.  He  attended  to  the  dental 
practice,  no  regular  dentists  being  recognized.  Although 
there  was  a  general  prejudice  against  the  new  Academy, 
established  after  his  arrival  from  his  native  place,  Lebanon, 
N.  H.,  he  was  early  among  its  friends,  for  some  years 
acting  as  one  of  the  officers.  He  had  an  excellent  wife, — 
a  worthy  companion  for  such  a  good  man, — three  sons 
(two  of  whom  followed  him  in  medical  practice),  and  one 
daughter,  who  married  a  well  known  merchant.  Dr.  Dana 
died  some  years  since,  ripe  in  years  and  good  deeds, 
universally  respected  and  lamented. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Hanaford  was  born  at  New  Hampton  in  1819. 
He  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  left  orphans  early 
in  life.  When  a  lad  he  exhibited  a  fondness  for  study  and 
a  strong  desire  for  an  education.  In  1844  he  entered  the 
Academy  at  New  Hampton,  and,  by  industry  and  system- 
atic application,  soon  took  a  high  rank.  He  taught  suc- 
cessfully for  a  number  of  years,  securing  the  notic/'  of  Dr. 
William  Alcott,  well  known  as  the  author  and  editor  of 
works  of  an  educational  character.  About  this  time  his 
health  became  impaired,  and,  with  the  advice  of  Dr.  Alcott, 
he  abandoned  teaching  for  the  study  of  medicine.  He 
attended  lectures  in  New  York  City,  and   was  graduated 


42  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

from  the  medical  college  with  which  the  Bellevue  Hospital 
is  connected.  He  practiced  medicine  for  six  years  in  Nan- 
tucket, Mass  ,  having  medical  charge  of  the  almshouse. 
From  Nantucket  he  went  to  Beverly,  interesting  himself  in 
the  schools  and  serving  on  the  school  committee.  After  a 
period  of  seven  years  he  left  Beverly  in  search  of  a  more 
favorable  climate,  and  removed  to  Reading,  where  he  now 
lives.  In  addition  to  his  medical  practice  he  has  given 
much  time,  during  the  last  forty  years,  to  literary  pursuits, 
having  published  many  books,  and  written  for  a  great  num- 
ber of  papers  and  magazines.  He  attributes  his  ability  to 
do  so  much  work  to  his  simple  style  of  living  ;  taking  much 
sleep  and  rest  whenever  necessary  ;  living  in  pure  air  and 
sunlight;  being  methodical  in  his  habits,  particularly  in 
regard  to  the  taking  of  food. 

Dr.  Hanaford  has  furnished  recollections  of  the  New 
Hampton  Institute,  which  will  be  found  among  the  other 
papers  on  that  subject. 

Dr.  Thomas  Roberts  was  a  large  man  and  practiced  in  a 
circuit  covering  two  or  three  towns.  He  rode  in  a  gig 
and  carried  a  trunk  well  tilled  with  drugs.  He  looked 
wise  and  solemn  in  the  sick  room,  and  talked  learnedly, 
and  was  regarded  by  the  common  people  as  skilful. 

Dr.  Ahimaaz  Simpson  practiced  in  town  from  1820  to 
1831.  He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Aaron  Smith,  who  re- 
mained for  the  next  ten  years. 

Dr.  John  A.  Dana,  son  of  Elder  Simeon  Dana,  was  a 
popular  physician.  He  moved  to  Holderness,  now  Ash- 
land ;    he    was    often   called   to   see   the   city   boarders    at 


Sketch  of  JSfeir   I  lump!  on.  43 

Plymouth,  and  was  highly  esteemed  as  physician  and  citi- 
zen. Dr.  Otis  Ayer,  a  student  of  Dana's,  succeeded  him 
at  New  Hampton.  About  this  time  Dr.  John  P.  Mooney, 
son  of  Ebenezer  S.  Mooney  of  Meredith,  opened  an  office 
at  the  village,  and  introduced  a  reform  in  practice  that 
became  popular  and  caused  him  to  be  well  liked.  He  died 
a  young  man. 

Since  about  the  year  1850,  New  Hampton  has  had 
eight  or  ten  different  physicians,  among  whom  I  remem- 
ber Dr.  Hiram  D.  Hodge,  who  was  both  a  minister  and  a 
doctor,  and  a  rather  smart  old  man  ; — Dr.  Rogers  also, 
who  was  here  a  short  time,  and  removed  to  Plymouth. 
Dr.  Mann,  Dr.  Artimas  Cass,  Dr.  Burnham,  Dr.  Rand, 
Dr.  Austin  Bronson,  and  Dr.  Eaton  were  each  of  them  here 
for  a  short  time.  Dr.  Childs  is  now  at  the  village,  and  is 
reputed  a  well  educated  physician.  He  has  a  family  of 
children.  New  Hampton  has  always  been  in  the  habit  of 
sending  out  of  town  for  council  in  critical  cases.  Old 
Dr.  Carr  of  Sanbornton  Bridge,  I  remember  as  beino-  called 
into  our  family  fifty  years  ago.  Dr.  Samuel  Thompson 
was  called  from  Boston  to  see  Dr.  John  P.  Mooney,  sick 
with  small-pox,  forty  years  ago.  Latterly  Dr.  Dana  of 
Holderness,  and  Dr.  Fowler  of  Bristol  have  often  been 
called  into  town.  Dr.  Dana  is,  I  believe,  no  longer  living; 
but  Dr.  Fowler  is  still  at  Bristol,  and  has  been  President  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Medical  Society.  There  were  other 
physicians  who  practiced  in  town  previous  to  Dr.  Doton, 
but  I  have  no  means  of  knowing  who  they  were. 

The  country  physician  has  more  to  confine  him  at  home 
than  his  brother  practitioner  in  the  city.  His  practice 
includes    all    departments    of   medicine,    and   he    is    often 


44  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

expected  to  do  the  business  for  two  or  three  towns.  He  is 
called  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night,  must  respond  with- 
out delay,  and  has  no  time  allowed  for  vacations.  On  the 
whole,  I  believe  the  doctors  in  the  country  will  be  found  to 
be  stronger  men  and  more,  successful  in  curing  the  sick 
than  city  doctors  are,  who  are  apt  to  go  by  rule,  according 
to  prescribed  methods.  Moreover,  diseases  in  the  country 
require  peculiar  management,  and  treatment  quite  as  scien- 
tific. House  drainage  and  dangers  connected  with  the 
causes  of  diseases  come  under  the  observation  of  the  physi- 
cian in  a  country  practice  ;  and  having  less  time  for  read- 
ing, and  less  opportunity  for  assistance  in  difficult  cases, 
he  learns  to  depend  much  upon  himself;  his  best  powers 
of  head  and  heart  are  therefore  brought  out,  so  that,  at 
the  age  of  seventy,  he  is  usually  well  stocked  with  wisdom 
and  common  sense. 

Miscellaneous  Biographical  Sketches. 

Mr.  Dickerman  of  Boston,  a  wealthy  box  manufacturer, 
planted  a  troutery  at  New  Hampton,  a  number  of  years  ago, 
at  the  junction  of  Mitchell's  brook  and  the  stream  running 
down  from  the  spring  on  the  west  side  of  the  pinnacle. 
The  water  is  clear,  very  cold,  and  well  adapted  to  the 
raising  of  trout.  It  became  necessary  for  Mr.  Dickerman, 
in  order  to  protect  his  fish,  to  own  the  land  on  both  sides 
of  the  stream  from  the  troutery  to  the  river,  including 
several  mill  privileges.  He  put  the  matter  in  the  hands  of 
an  agent,  and  accomplished  it  at  a  cost  of  about  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  With  other  large  outlays  he  has  brought 
his  establishment  to  a  very  interesting  degree  of  perfection. 
Trout  are  raised  in  large  quantities,  and  find  a  ready 
market.     The  enterprise  attracts  many  visitors. 


Skelcli  of  Nev  Hampton.  45 

Charles  Cavis,  a  native  of  New  Hampton,  was  a  good 
scholar  while  attending  the  academy.  He  was  a  quiel 
lad,  walking  about  with  his  head  bowed,  appearing  to  have 
hut  little  energy  of  body  or  character,  although  he  was 
popular  among  his  associates.  He  had  the  appearance  of 
one  in  "leading  strings,"  though  no  one  had  any  evidence 
on  that  point,  or  supposed  that  he  needed  special  govern- 
"ment.  When  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  the 
writer  obtained  a  school  for  him  in  Barnstable  County, 
Mass.,  where  he  had  himself  formerly  taught.  Once  away 
from  home  and  among  strangers,  Charles  raised  his  head, 
became  erect  like  his  associates,  and  in  due  time  com- 
menced his  school,  in  which  he  was  successful.  This  gave 
him  a  start  in  the  world,  and  increased  his  self-respect.  It 
seemed  as  if  he  were  in  a  new  world,  and  a  new  man  ; — his 
good  scholarship  became  available.  He  turned  his  attention 
to  civil  engineering,  steadily  progressing,  and  achieving 
new  successes.  About  the  time  a  growing  interest  was  felt 
in  the  White  Mountain  region,  Mr.  Cavis  surveyed  the 
mountain  country.  From  his  survey  a  map,  characterized 
by  great  accuracy,  was  published.  He  also  engineered  the 
carriage  road  to  the  top  of  Mount  Washington  from  the 
east  side,  meeting  the  railroad  from  the  west.  This  road 
still  remains,  is  much  patronized,  and  is  an  honor  to  the 
engineer.  I  last  heard  of  Mr.  Cavis  at  the  west,  a  dis- 
tinguished man  in  his  profession. 

Deacon  Samuel  Gordon  was  somewhat  advanced  in  life 
in  my  early  days.  He  was  one  to  inspire  the  young  with 
feelings  nearly  allied  to  reverential  awe,  although  not  un- 
usually austere  or  reserved,  but  having  dignity  of  character 
and  a  well  poised  mind  and  correct  principles,  which  led 


46  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

him  to  be  circumspect  and  careful  of  his  influence.  He 
was  the  first  deacon  of  the  Baptist  Church,  remaining  so  to 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  the  tailor  of  the  vicinity, 
was  universally  trusted, — and  so  far  patronized  as  was 
consistent  with  the  prevailing  custom  of  making  garments 
in  the  family,  after  spinning  the  wool  and  flax  from  which 
they  were  made,  carding  the  rolls,  and  weaving  the  cloth. 
The  deacon  was  careful  to  honor  his  position  by  a  well 
ordered  life,  and  by  a  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the 
church  with  which  he  was  connected  ;  and  he  commanded 
respect  in  an  unusual  degree.  He  had  two  daughters,  one 
of  whom  married  Mr.  E.  G.  Dalton,  a  student  in  the  acade- 
my,  who  boarded  in  the  family,  and  was  afterwards,  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  a  professor  in  a  medical  college  in 
Philadelphia.  Deacon  Gordon's  wife  died  recently  at  the 
advanced  age  of  nearly  one  hundred  years.  Of  this  promi- 
nent family, — made  prominent  by  sterling  worth  coupled 
with  unassuming  manners, — only  a  granddaughter  who  lives 
in  Reading,  Mass.,  now  survives. 

David  B.  Mason  married  Eunice  R.  Kelley,  daughter 
of  Deacon  Samuel  Kelley,  2d,  and  lived  at  the  foot  of 
Sinclair  Hill,  a  neighbor  of  his  brother-in-law,  Samuel 
Kelley,  3d.  They  had  three  daughters,  Sarah  L.,  Abigail 
K.,  and  Lucy  Ann  ;  and  two  sons,  S.  K.  and  Salmon  H. 
Mason.  Mr.  Mason  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  was 
successful.  He  contributed  liberally  for  the  support  of  the 
Institution  and  the  church,  and  lived  in  the  same  place  all 
his  life.  Ho  was  a  good  citizen  and  a  Christian  gentleman. 
He  died  April  3,  1880.  His  first  wife,  Eunice  Kelley,  died 
December  29,  1839  ;  the  second,  Eunice  Simpson,  died 
May  12,  1883. 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  47 

Samuel  Kelley  Mason  studied  law  in  New  York,  settled 
at  Bristol,  and,  although  for  years  an  invalid,  became  dis- 
tinguished In  his  profession.  In  the  latter  pari  of  his  life 
he  was  appointed  Judge  of  Probate  for  Grafton  County, 
and  served  a  number  of  years,  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  May,  1882.  He  left  a  handsome  estate 
to  his  widow  and  only  daughter.  His  only  living  sister 
is  the  Avife  of  Dr.  Henry  H.  Darling  of  Keene,  N.  H. 
Abigail  K.,  the  other  sister,  died  at  Topeka,  Kansas, 
February  20,  1880.  She  was  the  widow  of  Rev.  George 
D.  Henderson,  a  chaplain  in  the  United  States  Navy, 
who  was  a  student  at  New  Hampton,  and  died  in  Ports- 
mouth, his  native  place,  May  20,  1875.  During  the 
war  they  travelled  extensively,  and  were  at  sea  in  the 
European  squadron  with  Admiral  Alden.  This  squad- 
ron was  summoned  home  to  Key  West  in  May,  1874, 
on  occasion  of  the  Cuban  alarm.  Mr.  Henderson  was 
stationed  at  Portsmouth  Navy  Yard  after  July,  1874, 
where  his  efforts  were  greatly  appreciated.  He  died  sud- 
denly, of  haemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  while  conversing  with 
his  wife,  and  was  buried  in  the  family  cemetery  at  Ports- 
mouth. His  widow  became  a  teacher  in  the  College  of  the 
Sisters  of  Bethany,  at  Topeka,  Kansas,  where  she  greatly 
endeared  herself  to  the  family.  The  following  in  regard  to 
her  character  we  copy  from  an  obituary  notice  : 

"Her  perfect  lady-like  deportment,  her  kindness  and 
considerateness,  her  entertaining  conversation,  her  high 
principle,  her  forgetfulness  of  self,  her  personal  interest  in 
the  good  of  all  with  whom  she  associated,  her  affectionate 
cheerfulness,  her  pure  Christian  character,  won  for  her 
friends  wherever  she  might  be.     Her  death  is  a  great  loss 


48  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

to  the  college  and  to  her  many  friends,  and  to  the  large 
number  of  bright  and  warm-hearted  girls  who  had  learned 
to  love  her  dearly.  But  to  her  it  is  a  blessed  gain,  and 
this  is  the  consolation  to  those  who  survive,  that  she  has 
exchanged  the  weariness  and  disappointments  of  this 
changeful  world,  for  the  swrcet  companionship  and  un- 
changing bliss  of  the  Paradise  of  God. 

"  What  will  it  matter  by  and  by, 

Whether  my  path  below  was  bright, 
Whether  it  wound  through  dark  or  light, 
Under  a  gray  or  golden  sky, 
When  I  look  back  on  it,  by  and  by? 

"  Ah!  it  will  matter,  by  and  by, 

Nothing  but  this;  that  joy  or  pain 
Lifted  me  skyward,  helped  to  gain — 
Whether  through  rack,  or  smile,  or  sigh — 
Heaven — home- — all  in  all, — by  and  by. 

T.   II.    v." 

Samuel  K.  Mason,  Esq.  has  been  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  his  father  and  other  members  of  the  family  ; 
but,  as  he  has  been  honored  by  New  Hampshire  beyond  my 
knowledge,  I  cheerfully  give  place  to  the  following  com- 
munication from  Bristol,  where  he  was  best  known.  It 
was  written  in  the  year  1873  : 

"  Among  the  names  with  which  the  people  of  New 
Hampshire  have  been  particularly  familiar  for  the  last  few 
months,  that  of  S.  K.  Mason,  Esq.,  is  prominent.  Mr. 
Mason  is  a  native  of  the  town  of  New  Hampton,  born  May 
17,  1832,  and  is  consequently  now  nearly  forty-one  years 
of  age.  He  enjoyed  the  educational  advantages  offered  by 
the  well  known  literary  institution  in  that  town,  at  which  he 
prepared  for  admission  to  college  a  year  in  advance  ;  but, 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  49 

instead  of  taking  a  collegiate  course,  he  determined  to  com- 
mence the  study  of  law  ;  and  in  the  spring  of  1854  he 
entered  the  law  school  at  Poughkeepsie,  where  he  remained 
one  term,  and  then  changed  for  the  law  school  of  Hamilton 
College,  which  he  attended  one  year,  when  he  was  irrad- 
uated  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York  City.  lie 
returned  to  New  Hampshire,  and  continued  the  study  of 
his  profession  for  about  nine  months  in  the  office  of  Hon. 
E.  A.  Hibbard  of  Laconia,  familiarizing  himself  with  the 
details  of  practice,  when  he  opened  an  office  in  the  flourish- 
ing village  of  Bristol,  where  he  has  since  remained,  and 
where  he  has  established  a  very  successful  practice.  In 
politics  Mr.  Mason  has  heretofore  been  an  earnest  and 
decided  republican,  though  not  a  violent  partisan.  He 
held  the  office  of  postmaster  of  Bristol  from  1861  to  1868, 
when  he  resigned,  having  been  elected  to  the  Legislature. 
He  represented  Bristol  in  the  House  three  years,  and  took 
a  prominent  position  upon  the  republican  side  in  that  body, 
attending  faithfully  to  committee  work,  and  engaging  fre- 
quently in  debate,  though  never  wearying  the  House  with 
long  speeches.  He  has  been  twice  appointed  Commissioner 
of  Grafton  County  by  the  Court,  on  the  occurrence  of 
vacancies,  holding  the  office  in  all  about  four  years,  and 
discharging  its  duties  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner. 
Mr.  Mason,  having  become  disgusted  by  the  corrupt  prac- 
tices of  the  Grant  administration  and  the  unfulfilled  prom- 
ises of  the  republican  leaders,  identified  himself,  in  1872, 
with  the  liberal  republican  movement ;  and,  although  bit- 
terly denounced  by  many  of  those  with  whom  he  had  here- 
tofore acted,  he  has  remained  true  to  the  cause  of  reform. 
He  was  nominated  for  Governor  by  the  Liberal  Republican 


50  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

Convention  at  Concord,  and  received  the  support  of  the 
party  at  the  polls.  His  letter  of  acceptance  will  be  remem- 
bered by  our  readers  as  one  of  the  strongest  arraignments 
of  the  dominant  party.  Mr.  Mason  has  been  in  poor 
health  for  several  years.  He  spent  the  winter  in  Florida 
two  years  ago,  receiving  some  benefit  from  the  climate, 
but  is  still  far  from  well,  although  he  attends  faithfully  to 
his  professional  and  other  duties.  He  was  married  in 
September,  1858,  to  Miss  Helen  M.  Smith  of  Bristol, 
by  whom  he  has  one  child,  a  daughter  now  five  years 
old." 

"We  venture  to  speak  of  one  of  the  recent  appointments 
from  a  peculiarity  connected  with  it.  It  is  that  of  the 
Hon.  S.  K.  Mason  of  Bristol,  for  Judge  of  Probate  in 
Grafton  County.  Mr.  Mason  is  an  honest  and  amiable 
gentleman,  as  doubtless  many  other  of  the  appointees  are, 
and  he  is  a  liberal  Republican,  as  perhaps  all  others  are 
not.  Mr.  Mason  left  the  Republican  party  on  the  nomina- 
tion of  Mr.  Greeley,  and  saw  no  good  reason  to  return  to  it 
after  Mr.  Greeley  was  defeated.  On  the  contrary,  he  has 
continued  in  good  faith  the  alliance  made  in  faith  at  Cincin- 
nati and  Baltimore  in  1872.  It  is  proper  that  men  who 
have  done  this  shall  be  recognized  as  one  of  our  household, 
and  we  are  glad  that  Mr.  Mason  received  this  appointment; 
not  alone  because  he  had  the  manliness  to  stand  by  his  con- 
victions when  so  many  others  wavered  and  fell.  We  wel- 
come the  cooperation  of  all  who  agree  with  us  in  faith,  and 
are  {Had  to  see  them  recognized  in  the  honors  and  emolu- 
ments  which  belong  to  success.  Mr.  Mason  has  served 
with  rare  acceptability  as  commissioner  of  his  county,  is  an 
able  debater,  a  gentleman  of  mature  experience  in  public 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  51 

affairs,  and  possesses  to  a  marked  degree  the  confidence  of 
the  people  of  all  parties  in  his  section." 

Daniel  W.  Wilson  was  born  at  Coinpton,  N.  H.,  but 
spent  most  of  his  life  at  New  Hampton.  He  was  a  tanner 
and  currier  by  trade,  and  served  an  apprenticeship  with 
Judge  Simpson,  afterwards  working  in  Salem,  Mass.,  for 
two  years.  Returning,  he  purchased  the  tannery  and  curry 
shop  and  ten  acres  of  land  of  Judge  Simpson,  and  succeeded 
to  the  business  ;  carrying  it  on  until  it  proved  unprofitable. 
He  then  devoted  himself  to  farming,  taking  first,  the 
Dr.  Simpson  place,  where  his  wife  died  in  1848.  He 
afterwards  took  the  farm  belonging  to  my  mother; — the 
old  Deacon  Samuel  Kclley  place ; — and,  for  his  faithful 
services  in  her  behalf,  the  farm  and  all  the  stock  and 
appurtenances  belonging  thereto  became  his  property.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  married  his  second  and  third  wives, 
respectively  Mary  and  Sarah  Kelley,  who  were  daughters 
of  my  mother,  as  well  as  Betsey,  his  first  wife.  After 
the  death  of  his  third  wife  he  visited  a  sister  living  in 
Wisconsin,  Mrs.  Benjamin  Plummer,  where  he  remained 
several  months.  He  returned  by  way  of  Worcester,  having 
much  to  say  of  the  advantages  of  the  west  for  young  men. 
He  subsequently  visited  his  daughters  who  were  living  in 
Worcester.  During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  suffered 
greatly  from  sciatic  rheumatism,  and  died  suddenly,  of  heart 
disease,  August,  1880.  He  was  a  kind-hearted,  industrious 
man,  devoting  his  best  energies  to  his  family  and  children, 
and  was  universally  respected.  They  had  three  sons  and 
three  daughters;  one  son,  Henry,  died  in  infancy,  aged  7 
months;  Henry  B.  died  at  17  years  of  age;  the  only  sur- 
viving son,  James  E.  Wilson,  is  engaged  in  business  at  the 


52  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

stock  yards  in  Chicago,  and  is  a  smart  business  man.  He 
enlisted  in  the  army  before  he  was  of  age,  and  was  at  the 
Battle  of  Gettysburgh  ;  he  also  fought  bravely  upon  other 
fields.  He  visited  London  with  a  cargo  of  sheep  a  few 
years  ago  while  he  was  connected  with  the  firm  of  Mallory 
&  Sons,  selling  them  there  to  advantage.  His  experience  as 
a  business  man  has  given  him  a  reputation  for  integrity  and 
honesty,  and  he  has  already  laid  the  foundation  for  wealth 
and  honor  in  the  great  metropolis  of  the  west.  His  sister 
Mary  is  married  to  Col.  Henry  E.  Smith  of  Worcester,  a 
veteran  of  the  late  war,  and  commander  of  the  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Artillery  Company  of  Boston.  She  has  two 
sons,  Chester  Wilson,  and  Joseph  Walker.  Another  sister, 
Hannah  Spear,  married  Samuel  D.  Davenport  of  Worces- 
ter, who  was  for  many  years  an  active  partner  in  the  boot 
and  shoe  firm  of  J.  H.  &  G.  M.  Walker.  The  third  sister, 
Helen  Betsey,  married  John  G.  Tallant  of  East  Concord,  a 
large  farmer,  and  owner  of  large  herds  of  Jersey  and  other 
fancy  cattle. 

Col.  Rufus  G.  Lewis  was  a  man  long  to  be  remembered 
by  the  older  citizens  of  New  Hampton.  He  had  great 
influence  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
town,  his  opinions  being  listened  to  with  respect  and 
having  great  weight  with  the  voters.  He  was  a  pleasant 
and  fluent  speaker,  and  did  not  care  for  office.  His  busi- 
ness interests  were  at  the  south,  where  he  mostly  spent  the 
winters.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  New  Hampton,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Daniel  Smith,  who  owned  the  toll  bridge 
across  the  Pemigewasset  river,  and  was  the  proprietor  of 
the  store  now  owned  by  A.  B.  Meservey.  Mr.  Lewis  was 
the  largest  contributor  to  the  new  Free-Will  Baptist  school, 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  53 

and,  with  the  aid  of  H.  Y.  Simpson,  Benjamin  Magoon, 
Dana  Woodman,  Elder  Fisk,  and  others,  secured  its  con- 
tinuance at  New  Hampton  when  the  change  took  place  in 
1853,  by  a  split  in  the  denomination.  He  was,  in  religion, 
a  Congregationalist,  and  attended  the  church  at  Bristol 
Village.  His  son,  Edward  Lewis,  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
College,  is  at  present  editor  of  the  Laconia  Democrat.  He 
inherits  in  an  eminent  degree  the  talents  of  his  father,  and 
is  well  qualified  for  his  position. 

Rufus  S.  Lewis,  the  eldest  son,  was  a  sufferer  from 
asthma  from  childhood,  but  possessed  an  energetic  and 
cultivated  mind,  and  talents  that  would  have  secured  for 
him  an  enviable  position  in  any  community,  had  he  pos- 
sessed a  sound  body.  He  died  at  Laconia  in  June,  1887, 
and  the  following  obituary  is  taken  from  the  Democrat: 

"Rest  came  last  Sunday  noon  to  Rufus  S.  Lewis  at  his 
residence  on  Count  Street.  A  most  welcome  relief  it  must 
have  been  to  his  troubled  spirit.  A  feeble  body,  weakened 
by  disease,  was  but  a  poor  home  for  a  nature  so  large  and 
a  mind  so  active  as  his,  and  the  ill  starred  union  could  only 
result  in  one  long  intellectual  and  spiritual  struggle.  To 
those  of  us  who  have  watched  the  changing  phases  of  the 
battle  to  its  close,  no  language  is  more  expressive  than 
those  ringing  words  of  St.  Paul,  'I  have  fought  a  good 
fight.'  With  a  courage  which  was  heroic,  he  fought  the 
battle  to  the  end,  and,  with  a  patience  rarely  equalled,  he 
carried  his  heavy  load  of  suffering  through  many  years. 
Even  in  the  hours  of  dissolving  nature  his  hope  was 
undaunted,  and,  having  borne  up  bravely  through  life,  he 
was  brave  and  hopeful  and  patient  to  the  end.  Mr.  Lewis 
was  born  at  New  Hampton,  June  14,  1833,  and  was  there- 
8 


54  Sketch  of  JVew  Hampton. 

fore  nearly  54  years  of  age.  He  went  into  business  in 
Lowell  in  1856,  and  was  afterwards  in  Boston.  He  returned 
to  NeAv  Hampton  in  1867,  broken  down  in  health.  He  came 
to  Laconia  in  1879,  and  has  been  principally  known  here  as 
Register  of  Deeds,  and  as  having  a  warm  interest  in  relig- 
ious and  masonic  matters.  The  religious  element  of  his 
nature  was  especially  prominent,  and  a  marked  feature  of 
his  character.  He  was  broad,  liberal,  and  catholic  in  his 
views,  an  active  worker  within  the  limits  of  his  strength, 
and  an  eager  and  profound  student  of  the  Bible.  He  was 
an  easy  and  fluent  talker,  a  man  of  quick  sympathies,  and 
possessed  social  traits  which  made  him  friends  wherever  he 
went.  His  remains  were  taken  to  the  family  lot  at  New 
Hampton  on  Wednesday,  when  kind  friends  brought  touch- 
ing tributes  of  respect." 

Hon.  John  Went  worth  of  Chicago  was  a  student  at  New 
Hampton  from  1828  to  1832,  and  was  the  founder  of  the 
Social  fraternity  connected  with  the  school.  He  has  always 
manifested  an  interest  in  the  school  and  in  the  town,  and 
showed  his  good  will  towards  the  society,  a  few  years  since, 
by  giving  it  a  thousand  dollars.  He  has  frequently  been 
present  at  the  anniversary  exercises  in  the  old  Baptist 
school,  and  of  late  years  in  the  school  of  the  Free- Will 
Baptists,  and  is  an  honorai\y  member  of  the  corporation. 
In  the  year  1841  he  delivered  the  address  before  the  alumni 
of  the  school.  Mr.  Wentworth  was  Mayor  of  Chicago  at  a 
time  when  the  great  city  of  the  west  needed  a  man  who 
was  familiar  with  its  wants,  and  was  of  such  decided 
character  as  to  keep  pace  with  the  improvements  of  a  great 
commercial  metropolis.  He  impressed  himself  upon  the 
town  in  such  a  manner  as  not  soon  to  be  forgotten,  carry- 


4^?z//h^z^Z^W 


T^L^ 


r 


^ 


Sketch  of  Nen'  Hampton.  55 

ing  into  public  life  integrity  and  firmness  of  purpose,  and 
keeping  his  eye  upon  the  sound  doctrine  of  the  greatest 
good  to  the  greatest  number,  while  seeming  to  anticipate 
the  wants  of  the  city  and  the  country  far  ahead  of  the  time 
of  his  personal  services.  Like  all  truly  great  men,  he  lived 
and  acted  for  men  far  in  advance  of  his  own  time.  John 
Wentworth  came  of  a  stock  of  noble  ancestors,  dating  back 
to  colonial  times,  and  figuring  as  governors  of  New  Hamp- 
shire by  appointment  of  the  crown.  He  was,  during  his 
last  years,  hard  at  work  studying  biography  and  general 
history,  while  enjoying  his  farm  and  stock  situated  a  few 
miles  out  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Wentworth  was  the  tallest  man  in  Chicago,  six  feet 
six  inches  in  height,  straight  and  erect,  and  was  known  as 
"  Long  John  Wentworth."  He  was  the  best  known  citizen 
of  the  west,  barring  Douglas,  Benton,  Lincoln,  and  a  few 
others  who  could  be  numbered  on  the  tinkers.  When 
Mayor  of  Chicago  in  1860  he  received  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
then  a  slender  saxon  lad  of  twenty,  who  was  making  a  tour 
of  the  country  under  the  guidance  of  the  Duke  of  New- 
castle. The  Prince  said  in  parting,  "Mr.  Wentworth,  I 
have  enjoyed  my  visit  to  Chicago  immensely,  and  I  should 
like  to  return  the  favor."  "Never  mind,"  said  Mr.  Went- 
worth, "we  treat  everybody  that  way  out  west."  As  a 
token  of  appreciation  for  the  attention  and  respect  with 
which  he  had  been  treated,  the  Prince  sent  him  two  South- 
down bucks  (whose  descendants  are  now  on  the  summit 
farm),  and  an  oil  painting  of  himself  which  hangs  in  the 
library. 

When  in  his  usual  health  Mr.  Wentworth  was  quite 
regular  in  his  church  observance,  and  was  extremely  fond  of 


56  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

attending  Prof.  Swing's  services  at  Central  Music  Hall. 
He  was  without  fear  of  death,  and  occasionally  indulged  in 
dry  humor  with  a  harmless  joke  at  the  expense  of  other 
people's  terrors  about  death  and  the  future  state.  He  died 
at  the  Sherman  House,  October  16,  1888,  after  a  long 
illness,  surrounded  by  his  nephew,  Moses  Wentworth, 
Miss  Wentworth,  his  sister  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Porter,  and  his 
brother,  Samuel  H.  Wentworth.  Another  brother,  Joseph 
Wentworth  of  Concord,  N.  H.,  arrived  with  his  wife  later. 
Mr.  Wentworth  is  buried  in  Rosehill  cemetery  in  a  lot 
selected  by  himself.  The  monument  marking  the  spot  is 
fifty  feet  high,  and  weighs  seventy  tons.  It  can  be  seen  by 
passengers  on  the  Northwestern  Railroad,  the  track  of 
which  runs  by  the  eastern  line  of  the  cemetery.  Mr. 
Wentworth  was  in  the  habit  of  memorizing  religious 
hymns,  and  had  more  than  a  score  of  them  on  his  tongue's 
end  up  to  the  time  he  became  unconscious.  The  last  one 
he  recited  was  his  favorite  : 

"  My  soul  be  on  thy  guard, 
Teu  thousand  foes  arise, 
And  hosts  of  sin  are  pressing  hard 
To  draw  thee  from  the  skies. 

"  Oh,  watch,  and  fight,  and  pray, 
The  battle  ne'er  give  o'er, 
Renew  it  boldly  every  clay, 
And  help  divine  implore. 

"  Ne'er  think  the  victory  won, 
Nor  lay  thy  armor  down. 
Thy  arduous  work  will  not  be  done 
Till  thou  obtain  thy  crown." 

Mr.  Wentworth  would  hum  this  incessantly  for  several 
hours,  and  would  afterwards  dwell  only  on  the  last  verse, 
which  has  been  duplicated  several  times  in  his  scrap-book. 


Sketch  of  JVeiv  Hampton.  57 

The  appended  sketch  was  written  by  Mr.  Went  worth's 
nephew,  Moses  Wentworth  of  Chicago  : 

© 

"Hon.  John  Wentworth  was  horn  at  Sandwich,  N.  H., 
March  5,   1815.     He  fitted  for  college  at  New  Hampton, 
commencing  his  studies  at  that  school  in  182N,  and  con- 
tinuing until    1832,  when  he  entered  Dartmouth   College. 
He  taught  school  in  the  district  on  the  Simpson  and  Kclley 
Hill  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.     He  was  graduated 
at  Dartmouth  College  in   1836,  and  in  1839  delivered  the 
address  before  the  alumni  of  the  Norwich,  Vt.,  University. 
He  was  chosen  to  deliver  the  alumni  oration  at  New  Hamp- 
ton in  1841,  and  has  been  for  several  years  the  president 
of  the  alumni.     The  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  Dartmouth  College,  of  the  alumni  of  which  Insti- 
tution   he    has    been    president,    as    well    as    of    the    Phi 
Beta  Kappa  society.     He  started  for  the  west  soon  after 
graduation,  and  commenced  the  study  of  law  at  Chicago, 
writing  in   the  meantime    many  articles  for  the    Chicago 
Democrat  in  defence  of  the  Jackson  and  Van  Buren  princi- 
ples of  government.     Later  he   became   proprieter  of  the 
paper.     Chicago  was  then  an  ordinary  frontier  town  with- 
out municipal  government.     He  favored  its  incorporation, 
and  attended  the   first  meeting  which  was  held  to  aoree 

°  © 

upon  the  provisions  of  a  city  charter.  He  voted  at  the 
first  city  election  in  1837,  and  is  one  of  the  few  men  now 
living  (1888),  who  did  so  vote.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  establishment  of  the  common  school  system,  and  was 
early  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  education.  In  1843 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress,  and,  at  different 
times  between  that  date  and  1867,  he  filled  the  office  for 
twelve  years.     He  has  also  been  mayor  of  Chicago  for  two 


58  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

terms,  elected  first  in  1857,  and  again  in  1860.  He  was 
first  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Jacksonian  Democrat,  but, 
since  the  trouble  between  the  North  and  the  South  growing- 
out  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  he  has  acted 
with  the  republican  organization.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  convention  to  revise  the  constitution  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  in  18G2,  and  was  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the 
convention  that  nominated  Garfield  to  the  presidency.  He 
is  largely  engaged  in  farming,  and  is  the  largest  real  estate 
owner  in  the  County  of  Cook,  in  which  Chicago  is  located. 

"Mr.  Went  worth's  writings  upon  the  early  history  of 
Chicago  are  the  standard  authority.  He  is  also  the  author 
of  the  celebrated  work,  in  three  volumes,  known  as  the 
Wentworth  Genealogy.  He  is  grandson  of  Hon.  John 
Wentworth,  member  from  New  Hampshire  of  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  and  of  the  same  descent  with  the  Gov- 
ernors Wentworth,  who  were  distinguished  in  New  Hamp- 
shire history  before  the  Revolution.  His  writings  and  his 
speeches  in  Congress  are  too  numerous  to  be  referred  to 
in  the  space  allotted  to  this  article,  but  they  will  repay 
perusal  as  marking  the  career  of  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished, not  only  of  New  Hampton's  sons,  but  of  the 
sons  of  New  Hampshire." 

Mr.  Wentworth  was  married  November  13,  1844,  to 
Roxanna  Maria,  only  child  of  the  Hon.  Riley  and  Roxanna 
(Atwater)  Loomis  of  Troy.  They  had  five  children,  all  of 
whom  died  young  excepting  Miss  Roxanna  Atwater  Went- 
worth, now  living.  Mrs.  Wentworth  died  February  5, 
1870,  after  many  years  of  delicate  health. 

Hon.  Dana  Woodman,  another  native  of  New  Hampton, 
was  born  March  25,  1807.     He  was  the  youngest  of  three 


f7i?rt     [fic-cr/jy/r/j/. 


Sketch  of  JVeir  Ham p! on.  59 

brothers.  Like  many  men  who  rise  to  positions  of  honor 
and  trust,  he  spent  his  earlier  days  upon  a  farm.  His 
father,  Joshua  Woodman  (in  his  youth  captain's  clerk  to 
Dana's  grandfather,  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution), 
died  when  Dana  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age.  His  older 
brothers  (Daniel  S.  and  Joshua  L.)  were  away  at  school, 
and  he  was  left  to  carry  on  the  farm.  During  his  boyhood 
he  attended  the  district  school,  but,  after  his  father's  death, 
having  the  additional  cares  of  the  head  of  the  family  thrown 
upon  his  shoulders,  he  could  do  this  only  through  the  win- 
ter months. 

The  management  of  the  farm  required  tact  and  judgment, 
and  developed  these  qualities  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was 
well  prepared  for  the  various  positions  of  trust  which  he, 
in  after  years,  was  called  upon  to  fill.  In  the  year  1827  he 
entered  the  New  Hampton  Institution  as  a  student,  Rev. 
B.  F.  Farnsworth  being  principal.  During  this  year  he 
was  one  of  the  number  who  organized  the  first  literary 
society  connected  with  the  school,  and  gave  to  it  the  name 
of  the  Literary  Adelphi.  He  afterwards  taught  in  the 
Institution.  In  1834  he  married  Miss  Jane  Wilson  of 
New  Boston,  N.  H.,  a  woman  well  calculated  to  become 
a  helpmeet  to  the  aspiring  young  farmer. 

In  1841  Mr.  Woodman  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
Selectman,  and  Avas  continued  in  this  position  for  eight 
years.  In  1847  and  1848  he  held  the  office  of  County 
Commissioner;  and  in  1849  and  1850  was  a  member  of  the 
Governor's  Council,  when  the  Hon.  Samuel  Dinsmore  was 
Governor.  In  1853  and  1854  he  represented  the  town  in 
the  State  Legislature  While  a  member  of  the  House  he 
secured  important  legislation  relative  to  the  Literary  Adel- 


60  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

phi  and  German  societies  of  the  Institution,  obtaining  the 
charter  for  the  ladies' society.  In  1853,  at  the  request  of 
Col.  R.  G.  Lewis,  the  principal  founder  of  the  new  Institu- 
tion, he  undertook  the  supervision  of  the  removal  of  the 
old  buildings  from  the  centre  of  the  town  to  the  village, 
and  erected  them  where  they  now  stand  ;  and  for  the  space 
of  twenty- one  years,  from  1854  to  1875,  he  was  one  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  He 
has  always  proved  himself  a  firm  friend  of  the  school,  ever 
ready  to  aid  in  promoting  its  welfare  and  widening  its  use- 
fulness, freely  spending  time  and  money  in  behalf  of  this 
object.  It  is  said  of  him  that  he  has  never  been  absent 
from  the  anniversary  meeting  of  the  Institution  for  the 
past  sixty-five  years. 

Mr.  Woodman  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  native  town,  both  as  a  citizen  and  as  an 
official,  ready  and  anxious  to  further  any  plan  that  would 
contribute  to  the  advancement  of  its  prosperity  and  to  the 
good  of  its  people.  In  him  the  poor  found  a  friend  and 
counsellor.  Particularly  was  this  true  in  the  late  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  as  many  a  soldier's  widow  and  orphan  could 
testify.  In  political  belief  he  was  not  radical,  nor  would 
he  support  a  man  simply  because  he  was  of  the  same 
political  faith  ;  but  he  favored  the  nomination  of  such  men 
as  he  considered  best  qualified  to  serve  the  people  in  the 
offices  they  were  called  upon  to  fill.  For  himself  be  has 
not  sought  office ;  but,  when  called  to  assume  public 
responsibilities,  he  has  always  adhered  to  a  conscientious 
performance  of  his  duties. 

Of  the  many  business  men  who  were  the  contemporaries 
of  Mr.  Woodman  in  the  town  and  state,  but  few  are  now 


/Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  61 

living.  Among  the  early  inhabitants  of  the  town  he 
remembers  Col.  William  B.  Kelley,  father  of  Gen.  B.  F. 
Kelley,  as  the  first  postmaster  of  New  Hampton,  and 
recollects  riding  on  horseback  when  a  bov  to  carry  letters 
to  his  office  at  the  foot  of  Sinclair  hill.  In  1833  H.  Y. 
Simpson  was  commissioned  by  Gov.  Samuel  Dinsmore, 
Sr.,  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Strafford  County.  At  that 
time  Mr.  Woodman  and  Dr.  A.  B.  Smith  rode  on  horse- 
back in  company  with  the  newly  appointed  squire,  to 
Meredith  Village,  where  Simpson  took  the  oath  of  office 
before  Judge  Warren  Lovell.  Esquire  Simpson  was  then 
about  thirty  years  of  age.  It  was  while  Mr.  Woodman 
was  one  of  the  Selectmen  of  New  Hampton  in  the  year  1843, 
that  so  many  went  wild  over  the  Millerite  excitement, 
and  refused  to  gather  their  crops,  believing  the  "end  of 
the  world"  to  be  at  hand.  Mr.  Woodman  ordered  their 
corn  and  potatoes  harvested  into  their  barns,  and  before 
the  spring  of  the  next  year  came  round,  hunger  drove  the 
poor  deluded  people  to  eat  of  the  substance  which  he  had 
so  wisely  secured  to  them. 

In  1875  occurred  the  death  of  Mrs.  Woodman.  Of  her 
it  may  well  be  said,  she  was  a  faithful  wife,  a  devoted 
mother,  a  Christian  woman.  They  reared  a  family  of  five 
children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  were 
educated  at  the  Institution.  But  of  their  once  large  family 
two  only  now  remain.  In  1876  Mr.  Woodman  left  New 
Hampton  and  became  associated  with  his  son-in-law,  Prof. 
Nathan  Leavenworth,  in  the  management  of  the  Worcester 
Academy  in  Worcester,  Mass.  Since  the  death  of  Prof. 
Leavenworth,  for  a  number  of  years  principal  of  the  Acad- 
emy, Mr.  Woodman  has  retired  from  business  and  is  living 
9 


62  Sketch  of  JSfeiv  Hampton. 

with  his  daughter  at  ease,  upon  a  competency  earned  by  an 
active  and  honorable  business  career.  He  is  at  this  time 
eighty-one  years  of  age  and  well  preserved. 

Throughout  his  life  he  has  been  known  as  a  man  of 
sound  principles.  His  character  has  always  been  beyond 
reproach.  He  has  ever  proved  himself  a  consistent  Chris- 
tian, and  for  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  Free-Will 
Baptist  Church.  It  can  be  truly  said  of  him  that  the  world 
is  better  for  his  having  lived  in  it,  and  he  can  look  back 
upon  his  life  with  a  serene  satisfaction  in  the  evening  of  his 
days. 

John  Bowen  and  wife,  who  lived  on  the  turnpike  near 
the  floating  bridge  across  Spectacle  pond,  S.  Gordon, 
who  lived  north  on  the  same  road,  Robert  Mitchel,  whose 
house  was  near  the  road  leading  up  to  New  Boston 
and  crossing  the  turnpike,  Mr.  James  Flanders  (father 
of  Charles  and  John),  who  married  for  his  second  wife 
Peggy  Gordon  (a  kind  and  good  hearted  woman,  who 
was  the  mother  of  William  Rufus  Gordon,  a  high  school 
teacher  of  note  in  Massachusetts,  and  of  Mrs.  Rev.  Daniel 
Dearborn  of  New  Hampton),  and  Nathaniel  Sleeper,  are 
well  remembered.  But  they  have  paid  the  last  debt  of 
nature,  and  are  supposed  to  be  sleeping  waiting  for 
Gabriel's  trump,  when  they  shall  come  forth,  some  to  ever- 
lasting life,  and  others  to  "everlasting  damnation  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels."  The  Second  Advent 
doctrine,  which  raises  only  the  just  and  leaves  the  wicked 
to  sleep  forever,  has  the  preference  by  all  means  ;  and  it  is 
encouraging  to  know  that  some  of  the  brightest  theologians 
of  the  present  day  are  advocating  it  with  boldness  and  con- 


Sketch  of  JVew  Hampton.  G3 

fidence.     Truly  the   world  moves  as   of  old,   and   we  all 
move  with  it,  whether  we  will  or  not. 

Stephen  Gordon,  with  his  family  of  sons  and  daughters, 
who  lived  on  the  east  side  of  the  Pinnacle,  and  owned  the 
mountain  for  many  years,  are  all  dead.  The  old  man  him- 
self was  a  cripple;  his  daughter  Roxy  married  William 
Eaton.  Of  the  sons,  Joseph  never  married;  Stephen  mar- 
ried, but  imbibed  the  Millerite  doctrine  in  1840,  and  waited 
patiently  for  the  end  of  the  world ;  repeated  disappoint- 
ments weakened  his  mind,  and  he  died  broken  hearted. 
Zelotes,  the  oldest  brother,  was  a  miller  and  owned  the 
grist-mill  at  the  village  ;  he  was  more  than  once  washed 
out  and  his  property  destroyed  by  the  quicksand  embank- 
ments and  foundations  of  the  dam.  It  is  a  treacherous 
stream,  and  is,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  flushed  by  water 
from  the  mountains. 

Plummer  was  another  familiar  name  at  New  Hampton ; 
Capt.  Benjamin  Plummer  was  a  well-known  schoolmaster, 
who  had  the  reputation  of  being  severe  in  his  discipline, 
although  regarded  as  an  excellent  teacher.  David  Plum- 
mer, son  of  Nathaniel  Plummer  (brother  of  the  hermit), 
lived  on  the  side-hill  road  leading  to  the  turnpike.  He 
bought  beef  cattle,  and  drove  them  to  Brighton  before  the 
days  of  railroads.  He  had  the  confidence  of  the  farmers, 
who  regarded  him  as  fair  and  honest  in  his  dealing's. 
Nicholas  F.  Plummer,  who  married  Susan  Kelley,  was 
something  of  a  natural  dentist,  and  used  to  pull  teeth  with 
the  old-fashioned  turnkey.  I  have  a  feeling  remembrance 
of  his  operations  on  me  when  a  small  boy,  at  the  time  he 
lived  a  neighbor  to  David  B.  Mason  on  the  road  leading 
out  to  the  Col.   Kelley  place.      He  had  only  one  child, 


64  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

William  Kelley  Plummer,  who  became  a  well  educated 
dentist  in  the  early  days  of  the  profession.  He  married 
and  practiced  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  for  several  years, 
about  1850.  After  this  he  moved  west  with  his  father  and 
mother,  and  died  in  1860.  His  father  died  in  1855,  his 
mother  coming  back  to  live  with  friends  at  Whitinsville, 
Mass.,  but  eventually  going  to  New  Hampton.  She  after- 
wards moved  to  Alexandria,  and  lived  with  George  Plum- 
mer until  her  death.  Nathaniel  Plummer,  Jr.  married 
Betsey  B.  Kelley,  and  died  when  a  young  man.  He  left 
two  sons,  Charles  and  George,  who  are  now  living.  The 
widow  afterwards  married  David  Atwood  of  Alexandria, 
whom  she  survived,  dying  January  28,  1853. 

I  have  also  in  mind  Joshua  Woodman  who  kept  the 
store  at  the  old  Institution  fifty  years  ago,  Benjamin  Dorr 
who  ran  the  new  store  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street, 
little  Samuel  Shaw,  the  blacksmith,  Eben  Connor  who 
kept  a  boarding-house,  and  Peter  Hanaford  who  had  two 
tall  trees  growing  in  front  of  his  house ;  and,  lower  down 
the  hill,  Rev.  J.  Newton  Brown,  Samuel  Kelley,  3d,  and 
David  Mason.  Up  towards  Shingle  Camp  hill  lived  Isaiah 
Fisk,  Washington  Mooney,  and  Isaiah  Morrison.  Over 
the  hill,  down  into  the  village  on  the  left,  was  the  old 
tavern,  and,  opposite  it,  the  home  of  postmaster  Simpson. 
Farther  on,  on  the  same  side  of  the  street,  stood  the  house 
of  Rufus  G.  Lewis  and  the  store  of  John  Nash  ;  opposite 
was  the  old  store  of  Daniel  Smith,  and  farther  down  on  the 
same  side,  the  boarding-house  where  the  female  teachers 
lived ;  opposite  this,  a  boarding-house  kept  by  two  Prescott 
sisters.  Then  came  the  house  of  Nicholas  Taylor ;  oppo- 
site was  his  brick  blacksmith  shop,  where  he  and  his  son- 


/Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  65 

in-law,  Bodwell  Sanborn,  did  the  village  blacksmithing. 
On  the  same  side,  farther  on,  lived  John  Calvin  Gordon 
with  a  large  family  of  sons  and  daughters.  Here  the  road 
divides,  the  right  leading  down  a  steep  hill  by  where  Noah 
Mason  lived,  and  on  over  a  sandy  road  to  the  toll-bridge. 
The  direct  road  goes  by  John  Drew's  place,  and,  through  a 
dark  hollow  over  the  brook,  to  Bristol  village.  North  of 
the  Institution  lived  Elder  Josiah  Magoon  with  his  eight 
sons  and  one  daughter.  The  sons  were  Stephen,  Benjamin, 
Elias,  Martin,  John,  Calvin,  Aaron,  and  one  other.  The 
daughter  was  the  first  wife  of  Ebenezer  S.  Mooney  of 
Meredith.  Old  Mr.  Sinclair,  Nathaniel  Norris,  and  Ezekiel 
Pike  lived  to  the  north  near  Hazel's  saw-mill ;  higher  up  the 
hill  lived  Taylor  P.  Hanaford.  Beyond  the  Dana  meeting- 
house, and  between  it  and  Holderness,  lived  Honest  Nat. 
Drake,  Abram  Drake,  Stephen  Smith  with  his  sons  Obadiah 
and  David,  Jonathan  Smith  and  his  son  Joseph,  Joseph 
Young,  Benjamin  Mudgett,  Samuel  Mudgett,  Samuel  Fair- 
field, and  John  Smith  ("Shaving  John").  To  the  right 
of  the  same  meeting-house,  among  the  farmers,  lived  Dea. 
Huckins,  Nathaniel  Chandler,  and  Jonathan  and  Pingrey 
Cummings. 

Up  on  the  Strait's  road  leading  to  Harper  hill  to  the 
north-east,  lived  James  Howe,  Abraham  Harper,  John 
Dolloff,  Noah  Ward,  Thomas  Woodman  and  his  son 
Thomas,  Jr.,  Dea.  Daniel  Veazev,  Perkins  and  Jonathan 
Dowe,  Elisha  Smith,  Moses  and  Ebenezer  Smith,  Benjamin 
Sinclair,  Noah  Robinson  (elected  moderator  for  twenty 
years  in  succession),  Thomas  S.  Robinson,  Xewell  and 
Levi  Flagg,  Joseph  and  Nicholas  Smith,  John  and  Mark 
W.  Boynton  and  Ebenezer  Boynton  :  and  near  by  was 
Timothy  D.  Hawkins. 


QQ  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

On  the  turnpike  south  of  the  village,  on  the  line  between 
New  Hampton  and  Sanbornton,  and  near  Spectacle  pond, 
lived  Ebenezer  Kelley,  father  of  Lucinda  Bowen.  To  the 
north  lived  Josiah  Gordon,  and,  further  on,  Robert  Mitchel. 
Dickerman's  troutery  is  on  this  road,  and  the  house  where 
Dr.  John  P.  Mooney  maintained  a  small  hospital  for  the 
sick.  Here  crosses  a  small  stream,  called  .Jordan,  and  we 
come  back  into  the  village. 

We  now  return  to  where  the  New  Boston  road  crosses  the 
turnpike,  and  leads  up  past  where  Mr.  James  Flanders 
lived  and  out  to  the  top  of  Sinclair  hill  ;  turning  sharply  to 
the  right,  the  road  leads  to  Kelley  hill  and  down  by  the 
Capt.  Mooney  place  to  the  Brook  meeting-house  As  we 
climb  the  New  Boston  hill  to  the  turnpike,  we  come  into 
the  Gordon  and  Mason  neighborhood,  where  "Independent 
John,"  "  Boston  John,"  and  "Little  Thumb  John"  (Gor- 
don) lived.  Further  on,  the  road  divides, — the  right  lead- 
ing to  Hill  and  Bristol,  and  the  left  winding  around  the 
Carter  mountain,  and  crossing  out  to  where  Aaron  Ells- 
worth with  his  sons  Samuel  and  Ezra  Ellsworth  lived,  high 
up  above  the  "Devil's  den." 

On  the  road  east  from  the  Colonel  Kelley  house,  lived 
Eben  Johnson,  Jonathan  Sleeper,  and,  near  the  pond,  old 
Cornet  Drake  with  his  sons  Abram  and  Otis.  The  house 
where  Nat.  Kelley  lived  is  still  standing  on  the  side-hill, 
and  adjoins  Samuel  Kelley's  and  the  Simpson  tannery  place. 

The  road  to  the  Institution  from  the  Colonel  Kelley 
house  leads  by  Deacon  Samuel  Gordon's  house,  and  by  the 
little  brick  district  school-house,  as  it  is  at  present ;  and 
the  cross  road  leads  to  David  B.  Mason's  house,  and  a 
little  house  that  Nicholas  Plummer  once  lived  in,  which  was 


Sketch  of  JSTev  Hampton.  67 

occupied  in  1882  by  an  old  French  soldier  who  fought  in 
Napoleon's  army  at  Waterloo. 

On  Kelley  hill,  in  1882,  I  met  Dudley  Piper,  who  worked 
for  my  father  when  I  was  born.  John  Goss  (who  never 
saw  a  train  of  ears)  and  John  Perkins  lived  on  the  road 
towards  the  top  of  Sinclair  hill.  Lewis  Goss,  a  son  of 
John,  died  at  his  father's  forty  years  ago,  and  will  be  re- 
membered as  a  friend  of  Benjamin  Farnham  (father  of 
Daniel  and  Amos  Farnham),  and  the  veterinarian  for  all 
the  town, — a  kind,  good-hearted  man. 

On  the  Plummer  road  lived  James  Flanders,  a  man  who 
was  famous  at  "raisings"  in  his  day.  He  superintended 
the  "raisings"  in  every  direction.  When  the  frame  was 
ready  and  the  invited  guests  were  waiting,  with  the  broad 
side,  for  the  word  of  command,  the  master,  whose  voice 
was  shrill  and  sharp  and  could  be  heard  a  good  half-mile 
away,  shouted,  "Boys,  raise  him  up!"  "Strain  a  little 
harder!"  "A  little  more  to  the  right!"  "A  little  more 
to  the  left  !"  and  up  would  go  a  broadside. 

Master  Jimmy  Gordon's  house  is  still  standing  in  its  old 
place,  but  he,  his  wife,  and  sons,  are  all  gone.  Near  by 
was  the  house  of  one  Flanders,  whose  delight  it  was  to 
harness  up,  and  have  a  lonely  drive  all  by  himself. 

Up  the  hill,  near  the  Dr.  Simpson  place,  lived  three  old 
maids,  Polly,  Judith,  and  Betsey  Gordon.  They  owned 
the  farm,  and  died  many  years  ago.  There  is  a  tradition 
connected  with  an  old  apple-tree  which  had  three  branches 
and  grew  near  the  house.  It  is  said  that  when  the  first 
sister  died,  one  of  the  branches  dropped  off; — a  few  years 
later  another  branch  dropped  at  the  death  of  the  second 
sister; — and,  on  the  day  of  the  death  of  the  last  remaining 


68  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

sister,  the  last  branch  fell  to  the  ground,  leaving  nothing 
hut  the  trunk  of  the  tree  standing,  a  memento  of  the  old 
ladies,  who  lived  a  blameless,  unpretentious  life  during 
their  allotted  term  of  three-score  years  and  ten. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  stated  that  the  old  school  at 
New  Hampton  has  had,  as  pupils  and  teachers,  men  and 
women  who  have  been  of  great  service  to  the  country  in 
almost  every  walk  in  life.  Prof.  Peaslee  was  prepared  for 
Dartmouth  here,  and  is  held  in  high  repute  in  medicine  at 
home  and  abroad. 

M.  Clemenceau,  of  Paris,  who  was  wounded  in  a  duel 
with  M.  Maurel,  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  for 
the  Department  of  War,  in  December,  1888,  married  a 
daughter  of  the  late  William  Kelley  Plummer,  and  grand- 
daughter of  the  late  Susan  and  Nicholas  Plummer,  all  natives 
of  New  Hampton. 

Joseph  Plummer,  "the  Meredith  hermit,"  sprang  from  a 
stock  that  was  somewhat  peculiar,  his  brother  Nathaniel 
being  also  an  eccentric  man,  although  having  a  large  family 
of  children  that  became  industrious  and  respectable  citi- 
zens. His  son  Nicholas  married  Susan  Kelley,  my  father's 
youngest  sister;  another  son,  Nathaniel,  Jr.,  married  Betsey 
Kelley,  my  father's  eldest  sister.  They  had  two  sons, 
Charles  and  George,  now  living.  Charles  is  a  wealthy  farm- 
er in  Alexandria,  and  George  is  a  musician  in  Meredith, 
near  the  homestead  of  his  grandfather.  The  story  of 
Joseph  Plummer  is  not  unlike  that  of  hermits  generally. 
He  met  with  a  serious  disappointment  in  early  manhood, 
from  being  rejected  by  a  handsome  young  girl  who  lived  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  who  was  afterwards  married.  This 
so   wrought    upon   the   mind  of  young    Plummer  that  he 


Sketch  of  JVeiv  Hampton.  69 

resolved   to   live  alone,  apart    from   mankind;    and  there- 
upon left  his  home  and  sought  a  habitation  in  the  woods, 
some  two   miles  away  from  the  nearest  house,  where  he 
lived  the  life  of  a  recluse  for  more  than  seventy  years; 
the  nearest  settlement  being  Piper's  Mills,  on  the  turnpike 
or  stage  road  from  Concord  to  the  White  Mountains.     As 
I  remember  him,  he  was  tall  and  straight,  thin,  and  had  a 
complexion  much  colored  by  exposure.     He  had  a  sharp, 
shrill  voice,  was  quick  in  his  motions,  and  very  polite  in 
his  manners.     The  shape  of  his  head  and  the  cast  of  his 
features  reminded  one  of  an  Indian.     The  cabin  which  he 
inhabited  had  no  windows,  and  but  one  door ;  a  chimney, 
also  a  fireplace,  and  a  bunk  filled  with  straw,  which  could 
be  raised  to  the  upper  part  of  the  room  by  pulleys,  so  as  to 
protect  him  from  intruders.     The  light  from  the  fireplace, 
where  he  did  his  cooking,  was  all  that  he  allowed  himself, 
unless  the  door  was  open.     His  diet,  too,  was  simple;  con- 
sisting,  in  winter,   chiefly  of  baked  potatoes  and  popped 
corn,  and  in  summer,  of  fruit  and  berries.     He  was  tem- 
perate in  his  habits, — the  only  luxury  which  he  indulged  in 
being  the  moderate  use  of  tobacco  which  he  raised  on  the 
farm.     His  clothing  was  contributed  by  relatives,  who,  in 
the  latter  part  of  his  life,  were  accustomed  to  watch  for  the 
srnoke  from  his  cabin,  as  evidence  that  he  was  still  alive. 
His  cabin   was  moved  further  into  the  woods  more  than 
once  to  insure  him  the  solitude  which  he  so  much  enjoyed. 
His  mode  of  life  attracted  numerous  visitors,  many  comino- 
from  a  distance,  and  he   rarely  forgot  the  faces  of  these 
callers.     He  had,  too,  a  tenacious  memory  of  the  counte- 
nances of  his  boyhood's  friends.     He  was  a  close  student 

of  the  Bible,  quoting  correctly  and  fluently.     One  of  his 
10 


70  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

pastimes  was  the  telling  of  fortunes ;  for  which  he  charged 
a  small  fee,  thus  accumulating  a  quantity  of  specie,  which 
he  hid,  as  a  provision  for  his  old  age.  He  died,  at  the 
ripe  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  in  the  woods  where  he  had 
passed  his  long  life,  and  his  relatives  have  erected  stones 
to  mark  the  place. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  inscription  : 

"The  grave  of  a  hermit. 

Joseph  Plummer 

of  Meredith. 

Died  December  3rd,  1862. 

Aged  88  years. 

Content  with  seeking  happiness 

For  himself  alone, 

He  lived  in  seclusion  and 

Died  alone. 

Peace  to  his  ashes 

And  rest  to  his  soul." 

Reminiscences  of  J.  H.  Hanaford. 

Sixty  years  ago  the  common  schools,  as  I  remember 
them,  were  ungraded,  and  more  pupils  were  accommo- 
dated in  one  room  than  is  now  common.  It  was  not  my 
good  fortune  to  attend  in  the  representative  red  school- 
house,  because  mine  was  innocent  of  all  paint.  It  was 
about  fourteen  feet  square  ;  and  that  part  of  the  floor  con- 
taining the  scholars  rose  in  so  abrupt  an  inclined  plane  that 
in  winter,  when  there  were  snow  and  ice  in  the  aisles, 
walking  about  was  attended  with  some  danger.  It  was 
injudicious,  also,  for  the  boys  to  take  their'  balls  or  apples 
from  their  pockets  ;  since,  if  they  were  allowed  to  fall,  they 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  71 

rolled  into  the  front  of  the  room  and  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  master.  The  aisles  were  made  by  fastening  two 
heavy  joists  to  the  floor,  to  which  uprights  were  nailed. 
The  nails  were  made  by  the  blacksmith  from  large  bars  of 
iron,  instead  of  from  nail  rods.  The  seats  and  a  portion 
of  the  desks  were  of  planks,  and  the  backs  were  upright  ; 
the  whole  being  as  comfortable  as  the  softness  of  white 
pine  would  admit.  Some  of  the  desks  accommodated  two 
persons,  some,  four  or  more.  The  two  sexes  sat  apart, 
unless  a  naughty  boy  was  compelled  to  sit  with  the  girls  as 
a  punishment.  To  accommodate  one  hundred  scholars 
(that  being  about  the  average)  required  pretty  close  pack- 
ing. The  house  was  entirely  destitute  of  ornament, — no 
maps,  blackboards,  pictures,  clocks  ; — simply  bare  walls. 
Stoves  were  unknown  at  that  time  ;  in  their  places  were 
open  fires  fed  by  wood  from  three  to  four  feet  long.  There 
was  a  sheet  iron  mantel  which  served  as  a  radiator,  and 
upon  this  the  ink  was  put  to  thaw  after  a  freezing  night. 
Some  of  the  inkstands  were  made  of  soapstone,  some  of 
black  glass,  and  some  of  the  small  end  of  a  horn,  with  a 
wooden  bottom  ;  a  little  cotton  or  wool  being  put  in  to 
prevent  the  ink  from  spilling.  •  The  ink  was  made  from 
the  bark  of  the  maple,  a  little  copperas,  and  perhaps  a  few 
rusty  nails,  and  vinegar.  If  the  teacher  did  not  engage  to 
build  the  fires,  the  older  boys  did  it  by  turn;  each  boy 
being  notified  at  the  close  of  the  school  when  his  turn 
had  come  round.  His  duty  then  was  to  rake  up  the  coals 
at  night,  so  that  there  should  be  a  fine  bed  from  which  he 
could  make  his  fire  early  in  the  morning,  provided  he  had 
secured  the  proper  wood  and  kindlings.  If  the  bed  of 
coals  failed,  the  boy  took  two  sticks,  ran  to  the  nearest 


72  Sketch  of  JVeiv  Hampton. 

house,  procured  a  good  live  coal,  and  hastily  ran  back,  lest 
his  fire  should  go  out.  My  young  reader  may  think  it 
strange  that  he  forgot  to  take  a  friction  match  in  his  pocket. 
There  were  none  in  the  country  at  that  time.  The  first  I 
ever  saw  were  contained  in  a  cylindrical  paper  box,  fifty  in 
one  end ;  a  small  vial  of  phosphorus  was  in  the  other ;  and 
into  this  the  match  was  suddenly  put  and  withdrawn,  caus- 
ing ignition.  The  youngest  scholars  sat  on  the  front  seats 
with  no  desk  or  any  support  other  than  their  seats.  They 
had  no  employment  except  going  through  the  alphabet 
twice  or  more  times  daily,  and  had  no  definite  idea  of  the 
advantage  of  such  an  exercise.  They  had  no  book  or 
primer ;  the  teacher  using  Webster's  spelling  book  contain- 
ing the  alphabet.  This  did  service  as  speller  and  reader, 
till  the  English  Reader  was  reached,  which  in  its  turn  gave 
place  to  the  Columbian  Orator.  There  were  small  classes 
in  grammar,  composed  principally  of  girls,  using  Lindley 
Murray's  book  published  in  1705,  which  has  been  the  basis 
of  most  works  of  recent  date.  Nutting's  followed  a  few 
years  later,  but  the  study  was  scarcely  made  intelligible 
before  Smith's  work  appeared,  bringing  it  down  to  the  com- 
prehension of  the  average  scholar.  No  analysis,  composi- 
tion, or  test  exercises  were  attempted,  unless  the  old  fash- 
ioned "parsing"  exercises  could  be  considered  as  analysis. 
Adams'  and  Dabol's  books  were  used  for  arithmetic,  each 
scholar  taking  his  own  course,  asking  help  when  needed. 
There  were  sometimes  classes  in  Colburn's,  although  the 
plan  of  the  author  was  entirely  disregarded.  In  teaching 
writing  the  instructor  had  much  labor,  as  it  devolved  on 
him  to  rule  the  books,  set  the  copies,  and  make  the  pens 
from  goose  quills.     He  allowed  the  scholars  to  write  when 


Sketch  of  New  Hamilton.  73 

and  as  they  pleased,  unaided;  the  hooks  being  made  at 
home  of  any  available  paper,  with  no  speeial  regard  to 
size.  For  such  services  the  male  teacher  received  from 
$8.00  to  $10.00  per  month,  hoarding  around,  and  the 
female  teacher  about  $1.25  a  week,  and  sometimes  less. 
Among  the  earlier  teachers  in  this  school  were  Jane  Tolford, 
Elizabeth  Hanaford,  and  Capt.  Benjamin  Plummer.  Mr. 
Plummer  lived  on  Meredith  Hill,  three  miles  distant,  and 
boarded  at  home.  The  rod  and  the  ferrule  were  carried  in 
the  hand  of  the  teacher,  and  were  often  and  seemingly 
indiscriminately  used;  but  to  little  purpose,  apparently, 
so  far  as  the  order  of  the  school  was  concerned.  No 
organized  committee  had  the  school  in  charge,  although  it 
was  considered  the  duty  of  the  clergyman  to  make  frequent 
visits.     An  agent  engaged  and  paid  the  teachers. 

The  school  year  was  a  short  one  :  about  two  months  in 
the  winter,  and  from  two  to  three  months  in  the  summer. 

On  leaving  the  house,  all,  large  and  small,  were  required 
to  "  make  their  manners"  ;  i.  e.,  to  turn  toward  the  teacher, 
bowing  or  courtesying.  If  the  school  were  in  session 
when  they  came  in,  the  same  form  was  to  be  observed. 
On  going  to  or  from  the  school,  if  a  stranger  or  any  person 
of  importance  were  met,  the  same  was  required;  the  boys 
taking  off  their  hats  ; — a  custom  which  would  not  harm 
some  communities  at  the  present  day.  Politeness  and  kind 
treatment  were  more  than  usually  prevalent  in  New  Hamp- 
ton and  its  vicinity. 

The  old  meeting-house  was  erected  upon  the  common 
years  before  the  first  Academy  building.  It  was  evidently 
intended  for  the  accommodation  of  the  whole  town.     The 


74  Sketch  of  N~ew  Hampton. 

style  of  architecture  was  simple,  and  the  building  was  never 
painted  until  many  years  later.  It  would  now  be  regarded 
as  a  quaint  building,  with  its  square  pews,  its  "sounding- 
board,"  and  its  high  pulpit.  The  pews  next  to  the  walls 
were  raised  about  eight  inches  above  the  general  level, 
were  eight  feet  square,  and  the  seats  were  arranged  on 
hinges  so  that  they  might  be  raised  to  accommodate  those 
standing,  as  was  the  custom  during  prayers.  The  body 
was  made  of  panellings,  at  the  top  of  which  were  turned 
pieces  connecting  them  with  the  top  mouldings. 

The  pulpit  was  so  high  that  the  preacher's  head  was 
ten  feet  above  the  floor ;  a  flight  of  stairs  closed  by  a  rude 
door  led  to  it.  There  was  some  propriety  in  having  the 
pulpit  well  elevated,  since  the  galleries  would  accommo- 
date nearly  as  many  as  would  the  body  of  the  house.  A 
familiar  sight  was  Uncle  Shores,  a  crippled  and  deformed 
revolutionary  soldier,  who  sat  with  the  minister  because  he 
was  very  deaf.  The  galleries  were  reached  through  porches 
with  flights  of  stairs.  They  were  built  on  an  inclined 
plane,  long  seats  extending  from  aisle  to  aisle,  with  steps 
leading  up  and  down.  There  was  a  single  row  of  square 
pews  around  the  gallery,  next  to  the  walls,  the  choir  being 
opposite  the  preacher.  This  choir  was  quite  large,  with 
more  on  the  bass  and  treble  than  on  the  tenor  and  counter, 
the  latter  part  being  rarely  sung.  It  was  usual  to  have 
instrumental  music,  though  a  strong  prejudice  existed  in 
some  parts  of  the  town  against  "wooden"  singing.  I  think 
my  father  early  played  the  bass-viol,  while  the  double-bass- 
viol  and  the  bassoon  were  occasionally  played.  The  clario- 
net was  common,  and  the  life,  if  I  mistake  not.  The 
sinsrinjr  seats  were  a  little  below  the   level  of  the  bottom 


Sketch  of  Neiv  Hampton.  75 

of  the  "sounding  board."     This  "board"  might  represent 

in  form  the  root'  of  an  octagonal  house,  the  under  surface 
being  plastered.  A  small  piece  of  wood  extended  nearly 
to  the  ceiling;  and  a  rod  of  iron  framed  into  it  attached 
it  to  the  wall,  the  structure  projecting  a  few  feet  above  the 
preacher's  head. 

The  Sabbath  school  was  established  in  connection  with 
the  Academy,  as  the  professors  were  prominent  among  the 
preachers  in  the  meeting-house.  Its  teachers  were  among 
the  more  active  in  the  establishment  of  the  school,  though 
there  were  several  women  and  others  of  the  church  not  in 
the  Academy,  acting  as  teachers.  I  do  not  now  remember 
that  any  one  did  more  than  to  commit  passages  of  scripture  ; 
as  there  were  no  question  books,  and  no  special  aids  to  the 
study  of  the  Bible  ;  but  it  is  probable  that  the  few  older 
ones  received  some  explanation  of  the  scriptures  recited. 
There  were  devotional  exercises,  with  singing  and  remarks, 
but  the  time  in  the  school  was  short.  There  were  a  few 
library  books,  rudely  made.  Some  of  the  more  valuable 
may  have  been  bound  in  leather ;  but  the  greater  part  of 
the  books  used  had  for  covers  thin  pieces  of  wood  covered 
with  paper. 

The  academy  was  established  principally  through  the 
influence  of  John  K.  Simpson,  a  native  of  the  town,  who 
was  then  a  prominent  business  man  in  Boston.  He  was 
generally  present  at  the  annual  exhibitions,  his  bland 
countenance  denoting  sympathy  and  inspiring  courage  and 
respect.  My  very  early  impressions  were  those  of  admira- 
tion for  two  prominent  teachers,  Prof.  B.  F.  Farnsworth,  a 
man  of  unusual  ability,  and  Miss  Haseltine,  who  boarded 
at  my  father's,  and  was  a  very  remarkable  woman,  destined 


76  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

to  mould  character  and  to  command  respect.  At  first,  for 
a  few  years,  there  was  but  a  single  building,  two  stories 
high,  just  east  of  the  meeting-house.  The  lower  part  was 
devoted  to  the  boys,  under  tutors,  of  whom  John  Rand 
was  the  first  I  distinctly  recollect.  When  the  Institution 
became  more  extensively  and  favorably  known,  it  was 
necessary  to  add  another  building,  larger,  just  to  the  west 
of  the  meeting-house.  This  was  called  the  chapel.  Both 
were  painted,  which  was  not  true  of  the  residences  of  the 
place,  with  occasional  exceptions.  Such  were  those  of 
Capt.  Peter  Hanaford,  about  a  mile  to  the  north,  of  Col. 
Kelley  to  the  south,  and  of  John  Harper.  These  three 
were  among  the  more  prominent  and  wealthy  of  the  first 
settlers.  The  initials  P.  H.  in  a  protected  place  over  the 
front  door  of  Capt.  Hanaford's  house  are  the  only  evidence 
remaining  on  the  outside,  of  this  painting.  But  the  paint 
put  on  the  floor  of  one  of  the  rooms,  in  diamond  shape  and 
of  two  colors,  can  now  be  distinguished  in  places,  after  a 
lapse  of  seventy-five  years.  The  wall  paper  was  equally 
durable,  although  the  design  is  very  rude  in  contrast  with 
designs  of  the  present  day. 

As  New  Hampton  was  a  rural  town  with  few  attractions, 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  wealthy  would  be  drawn 
there  only  as  to  a  place  where  there  would  be  little  to 
divert  them  from  a  course  of  study.  By  far  the  greater 
part  of  the  students  were  those  intent  upon  obtaining  a 
good  education,  and  willing  to  pay  its  price  of  persevering- 
toil  and  of  self-denial.  They  were  generally  students  who 
must  succeed, — whose  thirst  for  knowledge  was  superior  to 
all  other  considerations, — students  capable  of  overcoming 
almost  insurmountable  barriers.     Means  being  limited,  it 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  77 

was  necessary  that  expenses  should  be  kept  at  the  lowest 
point.  The  price  of*  board  was  about  one  dollar  a  week, 
the  washing,  ordinary  mending,  and  fuel  and  lights,  being 
included.  Among  other  inconveniences,  many  of  the  stu- 
dents were  obliged  to  walk  long  distances,  as  the  farm 
houses  where  they  boarded  were  scattered  over  a  tract  of 
country  having  a  radius  of  two  miles.  Some,  who  boarded 
at  home,  walked  farther.  The  tuition  was  $3.00  per  quar- 
ter for  the  common  English  branches,  with  a  slight  addition 
for  the  higher  studies. 

In  process  of  time,  as  the  Institution  grew  to  be  more 
popular,  it  became  necessary  to  increase  the  accommoda- 
tions for  boarding,  and  the  "Brick"  was  erected; — a  build- 
ing one  hundred  feet  long  by  thirty-six  feet  in  width.  It 
was  three  stories  high,  containing  three  divisions,  the 
north,  middle,  and  south.  The  bricks  were  obtained  in  the 
vicinity  ;  but  the  lime,  which  was  of  a  very  dark  color,  was 
drawn  from  Orford  by  means  of  ox  teams.  The  rooms  in 
this  building  were  rented  at  twenty-five  cents  a  week  ;  they 
were  furnished,  and  accommodated  two  students  in  each. 
In  many  cases  the  students  boarded  themselves,  materially 
decreasing  their  expenses.  As  a  class  the  students  were 
orderly,  moral,  and  studious;  although  there  were  ex- 
ceptional tricks  played  upon  the  teachers  and  schoolmates. 
As  might  naturally  be  expected,  such  well  disposed,  studi- 
ous young  men  and  women  have  been  heard  from  since 
they  have  gone  out  into  the  world  to  engage  in  active 
duty.  New  Hampton  has  given  to  the  world  very  many 
useful  and  distinguished  persons,  eminent  in  the  pro- 
fessions and  in  the  more  ordinary  walks  of  life. 

It  is  due  to  New  Hampton  to  say  that  the  prejudices  of 
11 


78  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

her  own  citizens  against  the  Academy  were  gradually  dis- 
pelled, as  was  indicated  by  generous  patronage.  The 
inhabitants  have  had  no  occasion  to  regret  this  patronage. 
No  intelligent  citizen  will  fail  to  appreciate  the  worth  of 
such  men  as  Elias  L.  Magoon,  now  deceased,  and  A.  Jud 
son  Gordon  of  Boston,  both  of  whom  have  been  honored  by 
the  degree  of  D.D.,  and  have  honored  the  degree;  and 
manv  others  might  be  mentioned  in  this  connection.  I 
may  be  pardoned  if  I  refer  to  a  recent  visit  after  the  lapse 
of  forty  years.  I  was  cheered  beyond  expression  by  the 
cordial  treatment,  the  kindly  greeting  from  the  few  remain- 
ing friends  of  other  days,  and  from  the  teachers  and  stu- 
dents. At  the  meeting  of  the  Social  Fraternity,  a  society 
which  I  joined  more  than  forty  years  ago,  these  young 
Fraters,  all  born  since  I  was  an  active  member,  manifested 
the  true  fraternal  spirit." 

Sketch  of  the  Academy  at  New  Hampton. 

The  school  was  started  by  William  B.  Kelley  and 
Nathaniel  Norris,  and  first  opened  its  doors  September  i7, 
1821,  in  a  new  building  situated  just  east  of  the  meeting- 
house on  the  common.  It  was  a  two-story  frame  building, 
twenty-four  feet  by  thirty-two,  and  at  the  opening  of  the 
first  term  had  but  one  room  ready  for  occupation.  Mr. 
George  Richardson,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  was 
the  first  teacher,  and  the  tuition  was  fixed  at  $3.00  per 
quarter.     Board  was  $1.00  to  $1.38  per  week. 

Scarcely  a  dozen  buildings  of  any  kind  could  be  found 
within  a  radius  of  half  a  mile  from  the  meeting-house;  and 
the  members  of  the  community  were  not  very  much  inter- 


z 


X 
> 

O 
2 


P 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  79 

ested  in  the  success  of  the  school.  They  were  hard  work- 
ing farmers,  and  had  about  all  they  could  do  to  support 
their  families.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  Mr.  Richardson, 
aided  by  Kelley  and  Norris,  had  considerable  success  for 
three  or  four  years.  Fully  one-third  of  the  fifty  or  sixty 
students  were  from  Boston,  and  came  by  stage-coach  to 
exchange  the  comforts  of  their  city  homes  for  the  rough 
fare  of  poor  country  farmers. 

At  first  the  Academy  was  little  in  advance  of  the  com- 
mon school.  Few  of  the  students  had  mastered  more 
than  the  rudiments  of  an  English  education.  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson  remained  until  1825,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Bezaleel  Smith,  an  orthodox  minister  from  West  Hartford, 
Vt.  The  trustees  having  learned  by  experience  the  diffi- 
culties attending  a  maintenance  of  a  school  dependent  so 
largely  upon  local  patronage,  were  quite  ready  to  receive 
assistance  from  abroad.  At  that  time  the  Baptist  denomi- 
nation was  without  an  academy  in  New  England.  John 
K.  Simpson,  who,  after  removing  to  Boston  had  become 
connected  with  the  Baptists,  proposed  that  the  Baptists  of 
New  Hampshire  be  asked  to  take  the  school  under  their 
patronage.  Accordingly  a  Baptist  State  Convention  was 
held,  and  the  proposition,  after  a  full  discussion,  was  ac- 
cepted, and  Rev.  B.  F.  Farnsworth,  editor  of  the  Christian 
Watchman,  was  chosen  principal.  The  school,  by  virtue 
of  an  amended  charter,  now  became  known  as  "The  New 
Hampton  Academical  and  Theological  Institution,"  and  at 
once  commenced  a  vigorous  growth.  The  patronage  of  the 
Baptists  secured  at  the  start  a  large  attendance  of  students 
from  every  New  England  State,  besides  representatives 
from  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Cana- 


80  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

das.  The  slender  accommodations  were  soon  tilled  to 
overflowing,  and  new  buildings  became  necessary.  In 
1826  a  new  chapel  for  recitations  was  built  west  of  the 
town  house,  and  in  1829  a  large  brick  block  of  three 
stories  was  erected  for  boarding  and  dormitories. 

In  the  same  year  the  people  at  the  village,  aroused  by 
the  success  attending  the  school  at  the  centre,  erected  a 
building  and  opened  the  "Female  Department."  Under 
the  care  of  Prof.  Farnsworth  and  Rev.  Eli  B.  Smith,  D.D., 
who  succeeded  Mr.  Farnsworth  as  principal  in  1832,  the 
school  improved  rapidly  in  the  extent  and  thoroughness 
of  its  course  of  study,  and  was  annually  attended  by  more 
than  three  hundred  students.  The  female  department, 
under  the  care  of  Miss  Martha  Hazeltine  and  Miss  Sarah 
Sleeper,  justly  held  an  advanced  position  among  the  female 
seminaries  of  the  day. 

A  theological  department  was  also  opened  in  1829,  and 
had  for  twenty-three  years  following  an  annual  average 
attendance  of  twenty-five  students.  The  three  societies, 
—  the  "Literary  Adelphi"  founded  in  1827,  the  "Social 
Fraternity"  in  1830,  and  the  "Ladies'  Literary  Associa- 
tion" in  1833, —  added  largely  to  the  interest  felt  in  the 
school,  and  by  means  of  their  libraries,  reading-rooms,  and 
weekly  meetings,  afforded  an  ample  field  for  valuable  dis- 
cipline. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Simpson  the  first  patron  of  the  school 
occurred  in  1837,  and  the  financial  disturbances  of  that 
year  put  an  end  to  the  liberal  plans  that  had  been  enter- 
tained for  its  future  enlargement.  Its  prosperity  continued 
however,  unabated  until  1852,  when  the  trustees  were 
compelled  to  consent  to  its  removal  to  Fairfax,  Vt.,  the 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  81 

home  of  the  President,  Rev.  Eli  B.  Smith.  The  orsaniza- 
tion  secured  for  its  new  home  in  Fairfax,  the  cabinets  of 
curiosities,  the  philosophical  apparatus,  and  the  chapel 
bell.  The  remainder  of  the  property  passed  by  purchase 
into  the  hands  of  a  new  corporation,  chartered  under  the 
name  of  the  New  Hampton  Literary  and  Biblical  Institu- 
tion. This  charter  was  approved  January  5,  1853,  and 
contained  the  names  of  the  following  gentlemen  :  Ebenezer 
Fisk,  Levi  Carter,  Rufus  G.  Lewis,  Henry  Y.  Simpson, 
Russell  Cox,  Dana  Woodman,  Thomas  Perkins,  Benj. 
Magoon,  David  B.  Plummer,  Benj.  J.  Cole,  Smith  Swain, 
Daniel  Smith,  and  William  Moore.  These  men  determined 
that  the  school  history  of  New  Hampton  should  not  end 
with  the  departure  of  the  old  Baptists.  They  saw  that  the 
Free-Will  Baptists  were  ready  to  come  in  to  occupy  the 
field  ;  and  by  careful  management  they  obtained  possession 
of  the  property  upon  honorable  and  favorable  terms. 

It  is  estimated  that  not  less  than  seven  thousand  five 
hundred  students  were  connected  with  the  Institution  up  to 
1850,  covering  twenty-eight  years  since  the  school  was 
started.  From  1853,  the  thirty-three  years  of  school  life 
under  the  Free-Will  Baptists,  it  is  estimated  that  more 
than  fifteen  thousand  students  have  registered ;  coming 
from  an  area  much  more  limited  than  formerly.  In  18M> 
the  trustees  added  a  commercial  department,  with  a  course 
of  study  extending  over  three  terms,  and  giving  young 
men  ample  facilities  for  fitting  themselves  for  the  ordinary 
business  affairs  of  life  with  a  good  academic  education. 
This  change  was  made  to  meet  an  apparent  demand  of  the 
country  towns,  which  responded  promptly.  The  theologi- 
cal department  was  removed  to  Lewis,  Me.,  in  1870,  under 


82  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

the  control  of  the  Free- Will  Baptist  Education  Society. 
The  permanent  funds  of  the  Institution  amount  to  $20,000, 
and  it  has  property  in  buildings  valued  at  $30,000.  Since 
1852  the  people  of  New  Hampton  have  subscribed  and  paid 
towards  the  school  more  than  $25,000. 

The  trustees,  to  whom  the  entire  management  of  the 
school  is  committed,  act  principally  through  an  executive 
committee  of  five,  who  are  generally  residents  of  New 
Hampton.  A  military  company  connected  with  the  acade- 
my is  equipped  with  muskets  and  a  showy  uniform,  and 
drilled  in  the  modern  tactics  of  the  soldier. 

The  New  Hampton  Institution  is  to-day  (1888)  free 
from  all  entangling  alliances,  is  one  of  the  best  organized 
schools  of  its  kind  in  the  state,  and  deserves  a  permanent 
fund  to  place  it  on  a  secure  foundation.  There  is  nothing 
in  its  present  organization  that  can  arouse  the  feelings  of 
sectarian  prejudice.  The  literary  societies  are  identified 
with  New  Hampton,  and  cannot  by  a  vote  of  their  mem- 
bers or  a  vote  of  the  trustees  be  removed  to  any  other 
place.  This  shows  the  wisdom  and  foresight  of  R.  G. 
Lewis  and  his  associates  when  they  remodelled  the  Insti- 
tution. They  had  experienced  what  sectarianism  had 
wrought  in  the  old  school,  and  they  carefully  and  wisely 
guarded  against  any  such  experience  in  the  future. 

In  this  connection  an  allusion  to  the  habits  and  customs 
of  the  people  forty  years  ago  will  be  interesting  as  a  matter 
of  history.  Anniversary  meant  for  the  young  ladies  a 
public  examination  of  all  attending  the  summer  term.  The 
entire  department,  dressed  in  white,  assembled  in  the  upper 
rooms  of  the  seminary  building,  and  came  down  the  stairs 
in  procession  to  the  sound  of  music,  repeating  the  Lord's 


^y4t  A),  ^H^^a^^ 


Sketch  of  Neiv  Hampton.  83 

Prayer  in  unison,  and  singing  the  opening  hymn.  There 
was  never  wanting  anything  that  green  leaves  and  bright 
flowers  and  pretty  pictures  could  do  to  beautify  and  adorn 
the  room.  The  examination  lasted  during  the  entire  day, 
relieved  by  music  and  essays. 

The  young  men  had  for  their  anniversary  a  private 
examination  of  one  day,  and  a  public  exhibition  ;  and  the 
whole  country  around  made  it  a  holiday.  The  common  in 
front  of  the  town-house  was  selected  as  the  place  for  the 
students  to  form  in  procession  headed  by  marshals,  whence 
they  marched  into  the  church  to  the  music  of  a  brass  band, 
which  played  at  intervals  during  the  day.  Within  was  an 
admiring  throng  who  listened  patiently  to  a  programme  of 
sixty  or  seventy  parts,  running  through  the  whole  gamut, 
— the  childish  declamation,  the  finished  essay,  the  theologi- 
cal disquisition,  the  droll  farce  and  the  heavy  tragedy, — 
which  occupied  the  entire  day,  with  the  exception  of  the 
hour  when  the  young  gentlemen  gallantly  entertained  their 
female  friends  with  a  collation.  The  day  was  always  made 
lively  by  the  cry  of  hucksters  with  their  wares,  —  small 
beer  and  lemonade,  confectionery  and  gingerbread.  The 
soap-man  and  the  razor-strop-man  did  not  forget  to  come, 
and  the  rustic  crowd  saw  many  marvellous  sights  and  drove 
many  a  wonderful  trade. 

The  following  narrative  of  the  Prescott  family,  who  will 
be  remembered  by  the  pupils,  has  been  contributed  by  a 
friend,  and  place  is  given  to  it  as  pertinent  to  the  subject : — 

"Sarah  Elizabeth  and  Mary  J.  Prescott  were  born  in  Deer- 
field,  N.  H.,  and  were  daughters  of  Deacon  Abraham  Pres- 
cott of  that  town,    who    invented  the   organ    bearing  his 


84  Sketch  of  New  Hamilton. 

name,  and  introduced  it  into  Concord  in  1839.  Prescott  & 
Sons  have  manufactured  and  sold  it  for  forty  years.  The 
sons  were  pupils  at  New  Hampton  with  the  writer  about 
the  year  1843.  Of  the  daughters,  Sarah  Elizabeth  was 
educated  in  Concord  until  1843,  when  she  became  a  pupil 
in  New  Hampton,  graduating  August,  1846.  The  follow- 
ing winter  she  took  a  supplemental  course  in  Latin  with 
Prof.  C.  K.  Dillaway  of  Boston,  returning  in  1847  as 
teacher  of  Latin,  Italian,  and  History,  in  which  position 
she  served  faithfully  and  acceptably  until  July,  1851,  with 
a  rest  of  one  term  during  the  time.  She  afterwards  taught 
for  a  time  in  the  Chowan  French  Institute  of  Murfreesboro, 
N.  C.  She  was  married  in  April,  1853,  to  Rev.  Foster 
Henry,  a  Baptist  clergyman  of  Tyringham,  Mass.,  who 
fitted  for  college  at  New7  Hampton,  and  was  afterwards 
graduated  from  Brown  University,  and  from  the  Newton 
Theological  Seminary.  He  was  pastor  of  churches  in  Paw- 
tuxet,  R.  I.,  Danversport,  Mass.,  Newport,  N.  H.,  North 
Bennington,  and  Cavendish,  Vt.,  dying  at  Hinsdale,  N.  H., 
in  1886. 

Mary  J.  Prescott  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Con- 
cord, and  in  the  Young  Ladies'  Seminary  at  New  Hampton. 
Teaching  was  her  chosen  vocation.  She  taught  a  public 
school  in  Concord,  afterwards  establishing  there  a  select 
school  which  she  sustained  successfully  for  five  years. 
This  was  followed  by  her  connection  with  the  Young 
Ladies'  Seminary  at  New  Hampton  in  1850,  and  in  1851 
with  the  Chowan  Female  Institute  in  Murfreesboro,  N.  C. 
The  Colby  Academy  was  opened  in  New  London,  N.  H., 
in  1853,  under  Professors  G.  W.  Gardner  and  E.  Knight, 
formerly  teachers  at  New  Hampton.     Here  she  organized 


Sketch  of  New  Hampton.  85 

the  young  ladies'  department,  and  for  five  years  continued 
as  its  principal,  performing  a  pleasant  though  most  labo- 
rious service.  She  resigned  her  position  to  become  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Lucian  Hayden,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the 
church  in  New  London.  When,  subsequently,  her  health 
became  impaired,  Dr.  Hayden  resigned  his  position  in 
order  to  try  the  efficacy  of  a  milder  climate.  Together,  in 
Augusta,  Ga.,  they  labored  awhile  for  the  elevation  of  the 
colored  people,  removing  afterwards  to  Indianapolis  where 
they  took  charge  of  the  Young  Ladies' Institute,  remaining 
three  years.     Their  present  home  is  in  Concord,  N.  H." 

I  knew  personally  other  teachers  and  students,  of  whom 
I  make  biief  mention  as  follows  : 

King  Solomon  Hall  of  Groton  ;  Thomas  K.  Archibald 
of  Bow,  N.  H.  ;  John  M.  Chick;  Oliver  Brown  of  Haver- 
hill, Mass.  ;  Prof.  J.  Newton  Brown,  who  was  born  June 
29,  1803,  and  died  in  Germantown,  Ta.,  May  15,  1868, 
aged  65  years;  Hannah  T.  Dana,  who  married  S.  W. 
Stone,  a  merchant  in  New  Hampton,  and  now  lives  in 
Topeka,  Kansas;  Narcissa  V.  Smith,  sister  of  Prof.  Eli  B. 
Smith,  who  married  Dr.  Otis  Ayer,  and  moved  to  Michi- 
gan ;  Sarah  Sleeper  and  Martha  Hazelton,  who  married 
missionaries  and  went  to  Siam,  Burmah ;  Henry  P.  Rolfe 
of  Hill,  N.  H.,  afterwards  a  lawyer  in  Concord,  N.  H.  ; 
Elizabeth  Taylor,  youngest  daughter  of  Nicholas  M.  Taylor 
of  New  Hampton,  who  married  George  P.  Smith  and  now 
lives  at  Aberdeen,  Dakota  ;  Noah  C.  Connor  and  George 
Connor,  sons  of  Ebenezcr  Connor;  Henry  J.  and  Samuel 
A.  Simpson,  sons  of  J.  K.  Simpson  of  Boston,  and  their 
sister,  Mary  Hannah  Simpson  ;  Sarah  W.  Gordon,  daughter 
12 


86  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

of  J.  Calvin  Gordon  of  New  Hampton ;  Eliza  L.  Nash, 
daughter  of  John  Nash  of  New  Hampton,  and  sister  of 
Judge  Nash  of  Boston :  Martha  Hanaford,  daughter  of 
Peter  Hanaford  of  New  Hampton,  and  sister  of  Dr.  J.  H. 
Hanaford  of  Reading,  Mass.  ;  Samuel  H.  Quincy,  son  of 
Josiah  Quincy  of  Rumney,  N.  H.  ;    Francis  B.  Ayer,  son 

of Ayer  of  New  Hampton,  who  studied  medicine  and 

practiced  at  Laconia,  and  later  removed  to  Nashua  and 
engaged  in  manufacturing ;  Ovid  D.  Mooney,  son  of  Wash- 
ington Mooney,  Aaron  W.  Woodman,  son  of  Joshua 
Woodman,  and  Josiah  S.  Howe,  son  of  James  Howe,  all 
of  New  Hampton :  Charles  N.  Plummer,  son  of  Nicholas 
Plummer  of  Meredith ;  WTilliam  P.  Smith  and  Lizzie  A. 
Taylor,  who  afterwards  married  each  other ;  Mary  Susan 
Mooney,  daughter  of  Eben  S.  Mooney  of  Meredith,  who 
married  in  New  York  City ;  Mary  Ann  Cavis,  daughter  of 
William  Cavis  of  New  Hampton,  and  sister  of  Charles  Cavis 
the   distinguished   civil    engineer  who   went  to  the  West; 

Sarah  Ann  S.  Davenport,  daughter  of  Davenport  of 

Meredith  Parade,  and  sister  of  Smith  Davenport ;  Caroline 
B.  Whipple  of  Wentworth,  N.  H.,  teacher  of  mathematics, 
who  married  George  M.  Flanders,  a  lawyer  at  Green  Point, 
near  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  ;  Lydia  F.  Wadleigh  of  Sutton,  N. 
H.,  teacher  of  Latin  and  Greek,  and  afterwards  principal 
of  the  high  school  in  New  York  City  ;  William  W.  Kaime, 
professor  of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy  ;  Jesse 
Clement,  tutor  in  mathematics  and  English  literature. 

Quite  a  notable  gathering  of  the  teachers  and  students 
was  held  at  the  Revere  House  in  Boston,  March  28,  1889. 
There    were   present  on  the  occasion   Judge    Stephen   G. 


Sketch  of  Nev  Hampton.  87 

Nash,  John  P.  Hilton,  Manson  Seavey  of  Boston,  Col. 
Henry  E.   Smith  and  wife  of  Worcester,  J.   F.   Merrow, 

the  well-known  proprietor  of  the  Revere  House,  and  many 
others. 

A  friend  of  the  school  has  furnished  the  following  account 
of  the  meeting  : 

"On  March  28,  1889,  at  the  Revere  House  in  Boston, 
were  gathered  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  gradu- 
ates of  the  New  Hampton  Institution.  Never  before  have 
so  many  come  together  to  exchange  greetings  and  renew  old 
acquaintances,  remembrance  of  whom  the  intervening  years 
had  almost  effaced.  The  success  of  the  meeting  was  due 
to  a  few  gentlemen  of  Boston  whose  interest  in  the  school 
made  them  earnest  in  their  endeavor ;  and  within  two 
weeks  after  the  subject  was  first  broached,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  people  had  responded  to  the  invitation.  It  was 
indeed  a  notable  gathering,  composed  of  pupils  whose  con- 
nection with  the  school  had  covered  a  period  of  nearly 
seventy  years.  Could  the  friends,  the  professors,  and  the 
teachers  of  that  noble  Institution  have  witnessed  the  love 
of  each  alumnus  to  his  alma  mater,  their  hearts  must  have 
rejoiced  in  this  tribute  to  their  work  so  well  done. 

"A  constitution  was  framed  and  signed  by  every  one 
present.  After  an  hour  spent  in  recalling  the  almost  for- 
gotten faces  sadly  stripped  by  time  of  their  youthful 
bloom,  all  were  invited  by  Mr.  Merrow  (the  genial  pro- 
prietor of  the  Revere  House,  who  is  himself  an  old  New 
Hampton  student)  to  the  dining  room.  Here  was  served 
a  bountiful  dinner,  the  discussion  of  which  furnished  solid 
enjoyment  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  Following  this,  Pro- 
fessor Seavey  of  the  Boston  High  School  took  the  chair, 


88  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

and  presented  as  toast-master  of  the  evening,  Mr.  Bryant, 
who  proved  himself  admirably  adapted  for  the  position, 
introducing  the  speakers  in  a  most  happy  manner. 

"Mr.  Taylor,  a  lawyer  of  New  York  and  one  of  the  pupils 
of  the  school  at  its  establishment  in  1821,  spoke  for  the  old 
school.  Judge  Nash  followed,  speaking  in  a  very  happy 
vein  for  the  lawyers ;  and  he  created  a  pleasant  surprise 
with  his  announcement  of  the  many  able  lawyers  who  owe 
their  good  beginnings  to  the  New  Hampton  Institute. 
New  Hampton  is  Judge  Nash's  native  town ;  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  see  that  now,  in  his  old  age,  after  his  brilliant 
career,  his  mind  comes  back  to  this  place  of  his  youth  with 
loving  thoughts  and  beneficent  purposes.  It  is  announced 
that  he  intends  to  erect  a  library  memorial  building,  to  be 
at  some  future  time  a  fitting  receptacle  for  his  fine  library. 
It  is  impracticable  to  speak  at  present  of  all  w7ho  made 
the  occasion  a  noteworthy  one  in  the  annals  of  the  school. 
We  noticed  among  the  well-known  faces  Professor  Chad- 
wick,  Professor  Preston,  Professor  Butterworth  and  his 
wife,  gifted  elocutionists,  Kev.  E.  H.  Prescott,  Rev.  Mr. 
F.,  editor  of  the  Morning  Star,  and  Mrs.  Martha  Dana 
Shepherd,  noted  as  a  pianist,  who  assisted  in  giving  the 
ode  written  by  Judge  Nash.  Mrs.  Micah  Dyer,  a  pupil  of 
Miss  Sleeper,  paid  her  beloved  teacher  a  touching  tribute, 
which  will  long  remain  in  the  memory  of  all  who  heard  it. 
She  spoke  eloquently  of  Miss  Sleeper's  rare  qualities  of 
mind  and  soul  which  have  illumined  the  past  years  for  all 
who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be  under  her  instruction. 
Mrs.  Dyer  told  of  Miss  Sleeper's  leaving  New  Hampton, — 
of  her  struggle  with  herself  between  pleasure  and  duty, — 
between  the  school,  where  all  were  endeared  to  her,  and 


Sketch  of  JVew  Hampton.  89 

the  mission  to  Burmah.  This  was  forty  years  ago,  and  the 
chosen  work  in  Burmah  has  been  crowned  with  success. 
The  school  there  has  been  named  New  Hampton  for  the 
one  here,  and  has  been  an  honor  to  its  name. 

"  With  these  and  other  evidences  it  was  late  when  the  first 
meeting  of  the  alumni  of  New  Hampton  adjourned  for  one 
year;  during  which  time  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  new 
interest  will  grow  and  strengthen,  and  that  the  first  anni- 
versary will  bring  many  new  comrades  to  join  in  the 
festivities." 

The  following  is  the  ode  written  by  Judge  Nash  : 

"NEW    HAMPTON. 

BY   STEPHEN   (i.    NASH. 
Air. ■—  '  When  I  left  thy  shores,  O  Naxos.' 

"Need  I  tell  thee,  0  New  Hampton, 

How  my  heart  is  bound  to  thee  ? 
Need  I  tell  thee,  quiet  village, 

Thou  art  strangely  dear  to  me  ? 
For  in  thy  wild  woods,  New  Hampton, 

In  thy  maple  dells  around, 
Sweet  has  been  the  holy  stillness 

In  thy  bosom  I  have  found. 

"Thy  calm  river,  0  New  Hampton, 

Flows  with  murmurs  dear  to  me ; 
And  thy  brooks  make  sweetest  music 

By  the  waving  dark  pine  tree ; 
And  within  thy  forests  daylight 

So  to  evening  melts  away 
That  eternal  twilight  broodeth 

Through  the  greenwood  summer  day. 


90  Sketch  of  New  Hampton. 

"  Till  the  sun  shall  climb  no  longer 

From  thy  Pinnacle  to  heaven  ; 
Till  thy  river  ceaseth  glowing 

With  the  crimson  lire  of  even  ; 
Till  the  lilies  all  are  faded 

From  thy  lakes  so  dear  to  me, — 
Till  my  heart  can  cling  no  longer 

It  shall  fondly  cling  to  thee ! 

"  By  the  music  of  the  ripples 

Of  thy  brook  that  meets  thy  river; 
By  the  dimpling  of  their  waters 

As  they  join  to  flow  forever; 
By  the  starlight  and  the  moonlight 

As  they  mingle  on  each  hill, — 
I  will  think  of  thee,  New  Hampton, 

Till  this  beating  heart  is  still. 

"  Through  the  starry  heaven  of  Science 

Here  I've  wandered  by  the  sides 
Of  a  band  of  cherished  teachers, 

My  young  spirit's  chosen  guides. 
Here  they  led  my  spirit  upward  ; 

Here  they  taught  my  mind  to  soar; 
And  may  heaven  with  smiles  and  sunshine 

Bless  their  footsteps  evermore. 

"  But  as  summer  flowers  around  us 

Blossom  only  to  decay, 
So,  my  friends,  we're  bound  together 

Only  to  be  torn  away  ! 
And  the  flowers — they're  gone  forever! 

Ami  the  friends — oh,  who  can  tell! 
Then,  alas ! — perhaps  forever — 

Fare-ye-well !  and  fare-ye-well ! " 


Genealogical  and  Biographical  Sketch  of  the 
Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.1 

Samuel  Kelley  was  born  in  Exeter  in  1733,  and  died  in 
New  Hampton,  June  28,  1813,  aged  80  years.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Bowdoin,  and  they  emigrated  to  New  Hamp- 
ton in  1775.  His  wife,  born  in  1740,  survived  him,  dying 
in  1816,  aged  76  years.  They  were  buried  together  in  the 
family  lot  on  Kelley  Hill.  The  two  eldest  children,  and 
possibly  others,  were  born  at  Brentwood;  the  rest  were 
born  at  New  Hampton. 

Darby  Kelley,  father  of  Samuel,  settled  in  Exeter  in  the 
early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  ;    but  little  is  known 
of  him  except  by  tradition.     He  is  reputed  to  have  taught 
school  before  leaving   home,   and  to   have  been  a  bright 
quick-witted  Irishman.     It  is  presumed  that  he  landed  at 
the  Isles  of  Shoals,  or  at  one  of  the  neighboring  islands  off 
the  coast  of  New  Hampshire,   finding  his    way  to  Ports- 
mouth and  as  far  north  as  Exeter,  where  he  made  a  settle- 
ment.     Tiie    records    of  Exeter    show    ten   acres  of  land 
granted  to  Kelley  by  the  town.     It  might  have  been  Darby 
or  some  other  Kelley.      We  are  able  to  say,  however,  with 
certainty,  that  Samuel  Kelley,  the  subject  of  the  present 
sketch,  was  a  son  of  Darby  Kelley,  and  was  born  in  1733  ; 
also  that   William,    Roger,    and  John   Kelley,    who   made 
considerable   figure   in   the    early  history  of  the    Isles  of 
Shoals,  were  in  no  way  related  to  Darby.     We  therefore 
conclude  that  Darby  came  to  the  country  alone,  and  from 

1  These  genealogies  being  incomplete,  a  strictly  scientific  arrangement 
was  not  attempted. 


92  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

his  loins  sprang  the  New  Hampton  branch  of  the  Kelley 
family. 

Samuel  Kelley,  1st,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  was 
forty -two  years  old  when  he,  with  his  wife  and  little  family, 
moved  to  New  Hampton  :  that  part  of  the  state  being  then 
covered  with  forests,  and  abounding  with  Indians  and  wild 
beasts.  He  was  certainly  a  man  of  courage  and  great 
energy,  with  a  will  to  do  the  best  for  his  children,  for  the 
town,  and  for  the  country.  He  and  his  companions  found 
themselves  under  the  brow  of  the  Pinnacle,  and  here  they 
pitched  their  tents  and  commenced  clearing  the  land. 
They  chopped  down  trees  and  burnt  over  the  ground, 
making  a  place  to  plant  corn  and  Irish  potatoes,  their  first 
crops.  Pemigewasset  Pond  was  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and 
afforded  fish  of  an  excellent  quality  ;  the  woods  were  full 
of  game,  and  gun  and  trap  furnished  food  of  the  choicest 
kind. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  they  had  built  for  themselves 
a  log  cabin  after  the  fashion  of  the  pioneers  of  those  days, 
and  with  the  help  of  a  yoke  of  oxen,  began  to  make  rapid 
strides  towards  extending  their  home.  By  hard  work  and 
great  perseverance,  aided  by  an  iron  constitution,  Samuel 
Kelley  found  himself,  after  a  few  years,  owner  of  a  con- 
siderable part  of  what  is  now  called  New  Hampton.  His 
first  thought,  as  his  children  grew  up,  was  to  provide  each 
with  a  farm.  Accordingly,  to  his  eldest  son  Samuel,  he 
gave  the  homestead  ;  with  the  understanding  that  he  was  to 
remain  at  home  and  care  for  his  parents.  To  William  B., 
the  second  son,  he  gave  a  farm  at  the  foot  of  Sinclair  Hill  ; 
and  to  Nathaniel,  the  third  son,  he  gave  a  farm  reaching 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  93 

from  the  pond  adjoining  the  homestead  up  the  side-hill. 
The  eldest  daughter,  Betsey  Kelley,  who  married  Thomas 
Simpson,  was  located  at  the  extreme  south-east  of  the 
town,  adjoining  Meredith  on  the  east  and  Sanbornton  on 
the  south.  Of  the  other  children,  some  were  located  in 
Meredith  ;  Jonathan  went  to  sea  ;  Sally  was  married  to  J. 
P.  Smith,  and  died  in  1840  at  Machias,  Maine;  Poll}'  mar- 
ried Samuel  Page  and  moved  to  Steubenville,  Ohio  ;  John 
and  Dudley  removed  to  Youngstown,  Pa. 

Samuel  Kelley  planned  and  built  the  first  meeting-house 
in  New  Hampton,  which  has  stood  for  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years,  and  was  used  as  a  meeting-house,  town-house, 
and  for  public  gatherings  of  all  kinds,  until  it  was  re- 
modeled in  1875.  The  first  highway  was  built  passing 
the  common,  south,  over  Kellej'  Hill  to  the  turnpike,  and 
north  by  the  Dana  meeting-house  to  Holderness,  —  now 
Ashland.  The  next  load  built  was  probably  the  highway 
from  Smith's  Village  over  Shingle  Camp  Hill  to  the  com- 
mon, and  thence  back  of  the  pond  to  Meredith  Centre, 
running  nearly  at  right  angles  with  the  first  road ;  thus 
dividing  the  town  north  and  south,  east  and  west,  with  the 
geographical  centre  at  the  old  meeting-house.  The  ancient 
method  of  constructing  highways  was  to  go  straight  over 
the  hills,  instead  of  around  them  as  is  the  custom  of  to-day. 
The  marks  of  the  old  roads  can  be  seen  now,  all  over  the 
state. 

The  upper  end  or  northern  part  of  the  town  had  been 

settled  by  families  of  sterling  worth  and  character  (1800). 

Among  them  were  the  Magoons,  Perkinses,  Danas,  Smiths, 

and  Hanafords.      What  is  called  the  straight  road,  running 

east  from  the  common  and  leading  up  to  the  Harper  neigh- 
13 


94  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

borhood,  was  on  high  land  and  was  the  home  of  some  ex- 
cellent people.  Dana  Woodman,  now  living  in  Worcester, 
owned  a  good  farm  there,  and  lived  on  it  the  greater  part 
of  his  life.  The  lower  end  of  the  town  Avas  settled  by  the 
Fisks,  Ayers,  Dudley  Kelley,  and  Moses  Carter,  the  latter 
gentleman    lived    on    Carter  Hill    running    south    towards 

©  © 

Sanbornton,  and  here  lived  also  Aaron  Ellsworth,  who 
reared  a  large  family  of  boys  on  this  high  land  beyond  the 
"Devil's  Den."  On  the  south  and  east  sides  of  the  Pinnacle 
are  some  very  remarkable  springs  which  deserve  mention. 
That  on  the  south  and  overlooking  the  village  is  never 
affected  by  droughts,  and  furnishes  a  considerable  part  of 
the  water  which  forms  the  brook  running  through  the 
village  and  finds  its  way  into  the  Pemigewasset  Kiver.  On 
this  stream  was  the  only  grist-mill  in  town,  a  saw-mill,  and 
a  clothing  mill,  the  latter  run  fifty  years  ago  by  John 
Calvin  Gordon,  the  father  of  Judson,  the  popular  Baptist 
clergyman  of  Boston.  The  spring  on  the  east  side  has 
furnished  the  purest  water  for  Samuel  Kelley's  farm  from 
time  immemorial  and  was  little  affected  by  rain  or  drought. 
The  water  from  it  was  carried  to  the  house  through  lo»s 

©  © 

before  the  days  of  lead  pipe,  and  from  there  to  the  barn. 
This  spring  is  undoubtedly  fed,  like  all  never-failing 
springs,  from  the  mountain  above.  The  people  living  in 
houses  above  this  spring  have  suffered  for  water,  and  to-day 
have  to  pump  water  from  wells  by  means  of  wind-mills. 

In  the  year  1800  Samuel  Kelley  and  his  wife  had  been 
living  in  town  twenty-five  years,  and  had  witnessed  the 
development  of  the  place  and  settlements  springing  up  in 
every  direction.  Their  children  had  grown  to  manhood, — 
some  settled  near  them, — others  gone  to  distant  parts. 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  95 

Samuel  Kelley,  a  representative  of  the  fifth  generation 
from  Darby  Kelley,  is  now  living  on  Kelley  Hill,  the  only 
one  of  the  name  still  remaining.  He  is  a  shrewd  and  well- 
to-do  farmer,  and  owns  half  the  farm  formerly  owned  by 
his  grandfather,  Samuel  Kelley,  2d.  He  is  a  trader  in 
cattle,  and  delights  in  keeping  a  nice  horse,  inheriting  in 
this  respect  his  father's  fancy.  He  is  social  and  is  always 
glad  to  see  his  friends.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  has  no 
son  to  take  his  name  and  inherit  his  large  estate,  as  it  now 
seems  improbable  that  Kelley  Hill  will  much  longer  be 
occupied  by  any  descendant  of  Samuel  Kelley,  Sen.,  who 
broke  ground  here  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years  ago,— 
the  year  the  colonists  struck  for  independence. 

Children  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Bowdoin  Kelley  : 

II.-l.     Betsey    Bowdoin   Kelley,    b.    March    6,    1757;    m. 
Thomas  Simpson;  d.  Oct.  30,  1820. 

2.  Samuel  Kelley,  2d  ;  m.  Abigail  Roberts. 

3.  John  Kelley. 

4.  Nathaniel    Kelley;    m.  Betsey    Pitman;    d.  about 
1850. 

5.  Sarah  (or  Sally)  Kelley  ;  m.  J.  P.  Smith  ;  d.  1840. 

6.  William  B.   Kelley,   b.  1769;  m.  Mary  Smith;  d. 
Feb.  23,  1825. 

7.  Jonathan  Kelley  ;  who  went  to  sea. 

8.  David   (or  Daniel  or   Dudley)   Kelley  ;  moved  to 
Yoimgstown,  Pa. 

9.  Martha   (or  Polly)   Kelley;  m.   Samuel  Page;  d. 
in  Steubeuville,  O. 

[II.-2.]  Samuel  Kelley,  2d,  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
B.  Kelley,  was  born  at  Brentwood,  N.  H.,  Feb.  12, 
1759;    married  Abigail    Roberts    (who    was    born   at 


96  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

Meredith,  June  5,  1762),  and  died  in  New  Hampton, 

Feb.  20,  1832. 
The  original  Kelley  farm  which  his  father  cleared  from 
the  forests  fell  to  his  sons  Michael  and  Jonathan  and 
was  worked  by  them.  The  homestead  always  welcomed 
the  families  of  Samuel  Kelley,  Sen.,  and  Samuel  Kelley, 
2d,  so  long  as  the  place  remained  in  the  name.  Since 
that  time  the  farm  has  been  owned  by  Hon.  J.  H.  Walker 
of  Worcester,  Mass.,  whose  present  wife  is  Hannah  M.  C. 
Kelley,  youngest  child  of  Michael  B.  and  Kachel  A.  Kelley. 
Mr.  Walker  has  raised  the  farm  to  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  thoroughly  modernized  the  buildings.  The  place 
is  now  used  for  the  breeding  of  horses  and  Jersey  cattle, 
and  is  the  summer  home  of  Mr.  Walker's  family.  Samuel 
Kelley's  widow,  Abigail,  died  in  New  Hampton,  Oct.  15, 
1846,  aged  eighty-four  years,  having  been,  after  her  hus- 
band's decease,  lovingly  cared  for  by  her  sons. 

The  children  of  Samuel  and  Abigail    (Roberts)   Kelley 
were  : 

III.— 1 .     Joseph  R.  Kelley,  b.  April  18,  1786;  m.  M.  Farn- 
ham  ;  d.  April  29,  1847. 

2.  Samuel  Kelley,  b.  1788  ;  d.  Jan.  21,  1858. 

3.  Michael  B.  Kelley,  b.  Feb.  25,    1792;  d.   Oct.  23, 
1846. 

4.  Betsey  B.  Kelley,  b.  June,  1794;  m.  (1)  Nathaniel 
Plummer;    (2)  David  Atwood  ;  d.  Jan.  28,  1853. 

5.  P]unice  R.    Kelley,    b.   July  27,    1796;    m.   D.    B. 
Mason  ;  d.  Dec.  30,  1840. 

6.  Susan  D.  Kelley,  b.  1800;  m.  Nicholas  Plummer; 
d.  1880. 

7.  Jonathan  F.   Kelley,   b.  May   13,    1802;    d.  Nov. 
15,  1877. 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  97 

[I I. -4.]  Major  Nathaniel  Kelley  moved  with  his  family 
sixty  years  ago  to  Akron,  Ohio.  His  son,  Nathaniel, 
Jr.,  followed  with  his  family  in  1835.  He  had  several 
children  and  died  about  1850.  Their  farm  was  sold 
at  that  time  and  has  gone  out  of  the  name. 


[II. -6.]  Colonel  William  B.  Kelley,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Elizabeth  Bowdoin  Kelley,  was  born  in  Exeter,  N. 
H.  ;  married  Mary  Smith,  daughter  of  Judge  Ebenezer 
Smith,  and  had  eleven  children.  He  was  the  first 
postmaster  of  New  Hampton,  and  held  the  office  until 
it  was  removed  to  Smith's  Village.  The  United  States 
mails  were  received  and  distributed  from  his  house  at 
the  foot  of  Sinclair  Hill  previous  to  1800,  and  for 
some  time  after  that  date.  He  was  also  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  member  of  the  legislature  with  Thomas 
Simpson,  his  brother-in-law.  His  son  Samuel  had 
served  in  the  war  with  Simpson,  and  at  this  time  was 
paying  his  attention  to  farming. 

Colonel  Kelley  was  one  of  those  who  inaugurated  the 
Academy  at  New  Hampton  in  1822,  and  his  children  were 
sent  there,  and  some  of  them  fitted  for  college,  subsequently 
going  to  Dartmouth.  The  daughters  went  to  the  female 
department,  receiving  a  good  education.  Colonel  Kelley 
inherited  the  military  spirit  of  his  ancestors  and  trans- 
mitted it  to  his  posterity,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  prominent 
part  taken  by  some  of  them  in  the  late  civil  war.  His 
children  became  widely  separated,  they  and  their  descend- 
ants now  dwelling  in  almost  every  State  of  the  Union. 


98  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

The  children  of  William  B.  and  Mary  (Smith)  Kelley 
were  : 

III.— 8.  Ebenezer  Smith  Kelley  ;  d.  1 829. 

9.  Sally  Kelley;  m.  James  P.  Smith  ;  both  d. 

10.  Samuel  II.  Kelley;  d.  18?0. 

1 1 .  William  Kelley  ;  d.  1881. 

12.  Eliza  Kelley;  m.  Coffin  Avery;  d.  1879. 

13.  John  M.  Kelley;  d.  young. 

14.  Susan  Kelley  ;  m.  Ezekiel  Lawrence  ;  d.  1850. 

15.  Benjamin  Franklin  Kelley. 

16.  George  W.  Kelley;  d.  about  1852  in  California. 

17.  Catharine  Kelley;  m.  J.  H.  Walker  of  Erie,  Pa.; 
d.  1859. 

18.     Mary  Jane  Kelley;  m.  Benjamin  Tappan  Wright ;  both 
d.  young,  about  1840. 

[III.-l.]  Joseph  R.  Kelley,  eldest  son  of  Samuel  and 
Abigail  (Roberts)  Kelley,  was  born  April  18,  1786. 
He  was  of  a  rather  migratory  turn  of  mind,  having 
lived  in  Bristol,  Bridgewater,  Campion,  and  Andover, 
N.  H.     He  married  Martha  Farnham. 

The  third  child  was  noted  for  her  beauty  when  her 
father  lived  in  Bridgewater,  and  carried  her  personal 
attractions  into  mature  life.  Her  mother  lived  with  her 
after  her  father  died,  and  her  life  was  made  comfortable 
and  happy.  My  Uncle  Joe,  as  we  used  to  call  him, 
was  of  an  easy  and  comfortable  disposition.  We  recollect 
him  as  smoking  a  pipe  filled  with  the  best  tobacco.  This 
was  for  the  relief  of  asthma,  which  he  inherited.  He 
first  engaged  in  business  with  his  brother  Samuel,  on  the 
old  common,  but  they  were  not  successful,  and  dissolved 
partnership,  Joseph  going  to   farming.      I  think  he   was 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  99 

rather  the  pet  son  of  his  mother,  as  the  first  born  are  apt  to 
be.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  her  on  Sunday,  driv- 
ing over  from  Bristol,  when  she  always  entertained  him 
royally.  After  enjoying  the  entertainment  and  taking  a 
parting  smoke,  he  called  for  Frank  to  hitch  up  the  old 
horse,  much  to  my  great  delight ;  then  he  put  on  his  bom- 
bazine cloak  and  started  homeward  ;  reminding  me  of  John 
Gilpin  in  his  appearance.  "Aunt  Nabby,"  my  grand- 
mother, often  asked  Uncle  Joe  what  he  thought  would 
become  of  the  boy  Frank.  "I  don't  know,"  he  would  say, 
"but  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  he  turned  out  to  be  a 
minister."  He  was  always  very  kind  to  me,  taking  me 
into  his  family  nearly  fifty  years  ago,  and  sending  me  to 
school  with  his  son  on  the  river  road  near  Brown's  Mills. 
He  lived  at  this  time  in  Bristol,  on  the  side-hill  near 
Joseph  Moore's,  above  the  Emmons  place.  He  died  April 
29,  1847,  and  his  wife,  who  died  December  18,  1858,  was 
buried  beside  him  in  the  family  lot  on  Kellcy  Hill. 

The  children  of  Joseph  R.  and  Martha  (Farnham)  Kelley 
were  : 

IV. -1.     William  Patterson  Kelley,  b.  1815;  d.  1837. 

2.  Joseph  R.  Kelley. 

3.  Martha  Ann  Kelley  ;  m.  Aaron  Ordway. 

[III. -2.]     Samuel   Kelley,  3d,  son  of  Samuel  and  Abigail 
(Roberts)  Kelley,  was  born   in    1788;    lived  in  New 
Hampton,  and  died  there  Jan.  21,  1858.     He  married 
Hannah  Gordon  of  Sanbornton,  and  they  had  children 
as  follows  : 
IV. -4.     Benoni  G.  Kelley,  b.  Nov.   28,   1817;  <1.  Dec.   29, 
1885. 
5.     Samuel  Bowdoin  Kelley. 


100  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

6.  Elizabeth  Kelley;  m.  Oct.  11,  1855,  John  Neally  ; 
d.  Feb.  21,  1888.     Her  husband  d.  July  22,  1884. 

7.  Mary  Ann  Kelley  ;  m.  Dr.  Aaron  Ordway  of  Law- 
rence, Mass.,  for  his  second  wife. 

8.  William  P.  Kelley,   6.  Aug.  2,   1836;  d.  Feb.   16, 
1873. 

[III. -3.]  Michael  B.  Kelley,  son  of  Samuel  and  Abigail 
(Roberts)  Kelley,  married  Rachel  A.  Cram,  who  was 
born  July  17,  1790,  and  died  Jan.  5,  1870. 

Their  children  were  : 

1V.-9.     Abigail  R.  Kelley,  b.  Aug.   11,   1816;   d.  Sept.  23, 
1823. 

10.  Harriet  L.  Kelley,    b.  Aug.   11,    1816;    m.  Dec, 
1840,  John  M.  Flanders  ;  living  in  New  Hampton. 

11.  Ann  M.  Kelley,  b.  May  16,  1818;  d.  Aug.  4,  1820. 

12.  Betsey  C.  Kelley,  b.  Dec.  15,  1810  ;  d.  Oct.  1,  1848. 

13.  Warren  M.  Kelley,  b.  Aug.  8,  1821. 

14.  Mary  Ann   C.  Kelley,  b.  Jan.   20,   1823;  d.  Feb. 
26,   1856. 

15.  Abigail  R.  Kelley,  b.  Oct.  23,  1824. 

16.  Sarah  D.  Kelley,  b.  Jan.  12,  1826  ;  d.  April  1,  1870. 

17.  Frank  H.  Kelley,  b.  Sept.  9,  1827. 

18.  Hannah  M.  C.  Kelley,  b.  June  3,  1829. 

[III. -7.]  Jonathan  F.  Kelle}',  son  of  Samuel  and  Abigail 
(Roberts)  Kelley,  was  born  May  13,  1802;  died 
Nov.  15,  1877  ;  married  first,  Abigail  S.  Roberts, 
born  Feb.  21,  1803;  died  June  26,  1828.  Married 
second,  Eunice  T.  Goss,  born  Feb.  22,  1810;  died 
Dec.  18,  1S73. 


J&-.    <£.    &4n„J JP^e/dy. 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  101 

The    children   of  Jonathan    F.    and    Eunice  T.    (Goss) 
Kelley  were  : 

IV.-19.     David  Tilton  Kelley,  b.   Sept.  3,   1830;    d.  April 
22,  18:33. 

20.  Lucy  E.  Kelley,   b.   Feb.   6,    1833  ;    to.   first,  

Pattee  of  Alexandria,  N.  H.  ;  second,  Obadiah  Eastman 
of  Meredith  ;  third,  John  Flanders  of  New  Hampton. 

21.  Abigail  S.  Kelley,  b.  Jan.  3,  1840;  to. Beau 

of  Springfield,  Mass. 

22.  Samuel  G-.  Kelley,  b.  April  4,  1837  ;  to.  Jan.  13, 
1874,  Sarah  E.  Shaw  of  New  Hampton.  They  have 
one  daughter,  born  March  6,  1876,  and  all  are  now 
living  in  New  Hampton. 

23.  Sophia  M.  Kelley,  b.  Jau.  22,  1817  ;  to.  George 
Leavitt  of  Meredith,  where  they  now  live  childless. 

[III.-8.]  Eben  S.  Kelley,  the  eldest  son  of  William  B.  and 
Mary  Smith  Kelley,  was  graduated  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, studied  law,  and  settled  in  Kittanning,  Arm- 
strong Co.,  Pa.  He  became  a  successful  lawyer,  was 
elected  to  the  Senate  of  Pennyslvania,  and  died  in 
1829,  during  a  session  of  the  Legislature. 

[III.-15.]  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Kelley,  son  of  William  B. 
and  Mary  (Smith)  Kelley,  was  born  in  New  Hampton, 

N.  H.,  in  1807.     He  married  (1)  Miss Goshen; 

(2)  Miss Bruce,  daughter  of  Judge  Robert  Bruce 

of  Cumberland,  Md. 

He  raised  the  first  regiment  of  lo}ral  troops  south  of  Mason 

and  Dixon's  line  during  the  late  war,  and  was  commissioned 

Colonel  of  the  regiment  May  25,  1861,  and  was  mustered 

into  the  service  of  the  United  States    by  order  of   Gen. 

McClellan,  then  commanding  the  Department  of  the  Ohio. 
14 


102  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

Col.  Kelley  was  directed  to  assume  command  of  all  the 
troops  then  in  Virginia,  and  all  other  troops  that  had  been 
ordered  to  report  to  him.  On  May  27,  1861,  Col.  Kelley 
left  Wheeling  with  his  regiment  for  Grafton,  Va.,  on  the 
B.  &  O.  R.  R.,  followed  the  next  day  by  the  Sixteenth  Ohio 
and  the  Ninth  Indiana.  Grafton  was  held  at  that  time  by 
a  confederate  force  in  command  of  Col.  Porterfield.  On 
June  1,  1861,  Kelley's  force  reached  Grafton,  and  occupied 
the  place  (Col.  Porterfield  having  retreated  to  Philippi), 
marching  all  night  through  a  drenching  rain,  and  attacked 
the  enemy  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  third. 
The  enemy  was  completely  taken  by  surprise  and  routed  ; 
some  were  killed  and  many  captured.  A  large  amount  of 
stores,  arms,  ammunition,  horses,  wagons,  etc.,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  union  forces.  Col.  Kelley  was  severely 
wounded ;  thought  at  first  to  be  fatally  so,  having  been 
shot  through  the  right  breast  and  the  upper  part  of  the 
lung.  As  an  evidence  of  the  high  appreciation  of  his  con- 
duct, attention  is  called  to  the  following  telegrams  from 
Generals  McClellan  and  Morris  : 

Cincinnati,  June  3,  1861. 
To  General  T.  A.  Morris  : 

"Say  to  Colonel  Kelley  that  I  cannot  yet  believe  it  possi- 
ble that  one  who  has  opened  his  course  so  brilliantly  can  be 
mortally  wounded.  In  the  name  of  the  country  I  thank 
him  for  his  conduct,  which  has  been  the  most  brilliant 
episode  of  the  war  thus  far.  If  it  can  cheer  him  in  his  last 
moments,  tell  him  I  cannot  repair  his  loss  and  I  only 
regret  that  I  cannot  be  by  his  side  to  thank  him  in  person. 

God  bless  him." 

George  B.  McClellan. 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  103 

Grafton,  June  3,  1861. 
To  Colonel  Kelley  : 

"I  am  extremely  pleased  and  greatly  gratified  at  your 
gallant  and  soldierly  conduct,  in  the  expedition  which  owes 
its  success  to  your  gallant  conduct.  I  feel  that  your 
country  owes  you  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude  for  your  services 
on  the  occasion,  and  a  grateful  people  cannot  but  render  to 
you  that  honor  you  so  richly  deserve." 

T.  A.  Morris,  Brigadier-General. 

Extract  from  Colonel  Morris's  Report. 

"I  am  extremely  sorry  to  report  that  the  gallant  Colonel 
Kelley  of  the  First  Virginia  regiment  while  leading  the 
attack  of  his  column  fell  severely  wounded  by  a  shot  in  the 
breast.  The  wound,  at  first  supposed  to  be  mortal,  I  am 
glad  to  know  will  only  deprive  us  of  his  valuable  councils 
and  assistance  for  a  few  weeks.  Much  of  the  success  of 
our  attack  is  due  to  him.  His  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
country,  his  cool  and  unflinching  courage  will  deprive  us 
for  the  time  of  a  great  support." 

Extract  from  General  McClellan's  Report. 

"Colonel  Kelley  who  conducted  the  movement  on  Phili- 
ppi  with  marked  ability  and  zeal,  received  a  severe  wound 
early  in  the  action,  which  at  the  time  was  supposed  to  be 
mortal,  but  I  am  now  happy  to  say  he  is  out  of  danger. 
From  the  moment  he  received  my  orders  at  Wheeling  to 
move  on  Grafton,  up  to  the  time  he  was  wounded,  he  has 
exhibited  in  an  eminent  degree  the  qualities  of  an  efficient 


104  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

commander,  and  I  take  this  opportunity  of  renewing  my 
recommendation  for  bis  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General." 

Having  the  advantage  of  excellent  surgical  and  medical 
skill  and  nursing,  Colonel  Kelley  gradually  recovered  from 
his  wound,  so  that  at  the  end  of  sixty  days  he  was  able  to 
assume  the  command  of  the  railroad  division  with  head- 
quarters at  Grafton,  to  which  General  McClellan  assigned 
him,  when  he  left  Virginia  to  assume  command  of  the  army 
of  the  Potomac.  In  the  meantime  Colonel  Kelley  had  been 
appointed  by  the  President  a  Brigadier-General.  It  is 
proper  to  remark  here  that  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  was  the  only 
avenue  in  all  that  section  by  which  soldiers  and  supplies 
could  be  quickly  transported  ;  hence  to  protect  it  became  a 
matter  of  military  necessity  to  the  union  forces.  This 
position  involved  the  protection  of  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R. 
from  Cumberland,  Md.,  to  Wheeling  and  Parkersburg, 
Va.,  and  the  protection  of  the  loyal  people  on  the  border, 
a  duty  both  onerous  and  difficult,  and  much  of  the  time 
attended  with  peisonal  danger  and  privation.  On  October 
22,  18(51,  General  Kelley  received  an  order  from  General 
Scott  to  concentrate  his  forces,  and  attack  and  capture 
Romney,  West  Va.  This  order  was  promptly  obeyed  by 
concentrating  his  forces  at  New  Creek  on  the  B.  &  O. 
R.  R.  On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-seventh  he  moved 
on  Romney,  which  place  he  attacked  at  four  P.  M.  After 
a  sharp  engagement  he  defeated  the  enemy,  capturing 
many  prisoners  and  a  large  amount  of  stores,  arms,  ammu- 
nition, horses,  wagons,  etc.,  also  one  twelve-pound  and 
one  six-pound  gun,  with  caissons,  horses,  ammunition,  etc. 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  105 

The  following  complimentary  telegram  was  received  from 
the  War  Department  for  his  successful  action  : 

Headquarters  Army,  Washington, 
October  30,  1861. 
Brig. -Gen.  Kelley,  U.  S.  A., 

Romney,  Va. 
"Your  late  movement  upon  and  signal  victory  at  Romney 
do  you  great  honor  in  the  opinion  of  the  President,  and  of 
Lieutenant-General  Scott.  You  shall  be  reinforced  as  soon 
as  practicable.  In  the  meantime,  if  necessary  call  for  any 
troops  at  Cumberland  or  New  Creek." 
By  command, 

E.  D.  Townsend,  Asst.  Adj.  Gen. 

General  Kelley  was  now  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Department  of  Harper's  Ferry  and  Cumberland.  He  re- 
mained at  Romney  until  the  first  of  January,  1862,  organ- 
izing and  drilling  his  troops,  thoroughly  scouting  the 
country,  and  opening  and  protecting  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R. 
east  of  Cumberland.  From  hard  and  constant  work  and  ex- 
posure his  health  became  impaired,  and  his  wound  so  pain- 
ful that  he  was  compelled  to  ask  to  be  relieved.  General 
F.  W.  Lander  was  ordered  to  relieve  him,  which  he  did 
on  the  tenth  of  January,  18b'2.  At  his  earnest  request 
General  Kelley  remained  a  few  days  at  Cumberland  for  the 
purpose  of  advising  him  in  reference  to  the  local  geography 
of  the  neighboring  counties  in  Virginia,  and  the  contem- 
plated movement  of  his  command.  At  the  expiration  of 
his  leave  he  was  ordered  to  assume  his  former  command  of 
the  first  division  of  the  middle  department  with  headquar- 
ters at  Harper's  Ferry.     This  command  embraced  all  the 


106  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

troops  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Va.,  and  in  Maryland 
west  of  the  Monocacy  river,  and  involved  the  protection  of 
the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Canal,  and  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  east 
of  Cumberland.  He  remained  here  until  the  first  of  July, 
1863,  when  he  was  ordered  to  relieve  Brigadier-General 
B.  S.  Roberts,  commanding  a  division  with  headquarters 
at  Clerksburg,  West  Va.  Shortly  after  the  Department 
of  West  Virginia  was  organized,  and  General  Kelley  was 
assigned  to  the  command.  This  command  involved  a  long- 
border  line,  reaching  from  the  Monocacy  river  in  Maryland 
to  the  Big  Sandy  river  on  the  Kentucky  line,  as  well  as  the 
protection  of  the  entire  line  of  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  During 
the  whole  time  he  commanded  the  Department  of  West 
Virginia,  his  troops  were  almost  constantly  engaged  in 
offensive  or  defensive  operations.  When  General  Lee's 
army  crossed  the  Potomac  in  1863  and  invaded  Maryland 
and  Pennsylvania,  General  Kelley  was  ordered  to  concen- 
trate all  his  forces  and  move  to  a  point  as  near  Hagerstown, 
Md.,  as  would  be  judicious.  He  accordingly  took  position 
in  the  mountain  pass  of  Fair  View,  immediately  west  of 
Clear  Spring.  This  was  a  few  miles  in  the  rear  of  Lee's 
line  of  battle,  extending  as  it  did  from  Hagerstown  to  Fall- 
ing Waters  on  the  Potomac.  His  orders  were  to  attack 
General  Lee's  rear  as  soon  as  he  heard  General  Mead's 
guns  in  the  front.  But  General  Mead  delayed  his  attack 
too  long,  and  General  Lee's  army  re-crossed  the  Potomac. 
General  Kelley  then  moved  back  to  Cherry  Run,  crossed 
the  Potomac,  and  after  harassing  the  rear  and  right  flank  of 
Lee's  retreating  army,  returned  his  troops  to  their  former 
position.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  report  of 
General  Halleck : 


KelJey  and  Simpson  Families.  107 

"The  operations  of  our  troops  in  West  Virginia  are 
referred  to  here  as  being  intimately  connected  with  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  force  there  being  too  small  to 
attempt  any  important  campaign  by  itself,  has  acted  master- 
ly upon  the  defensive  in  repelling  raids,  and  breaking  up 
guerrilla  bands.  When  Lee's  army  retreated  after  the 
Battle  of  Gettysburg  after  July  last,  Brigadier-General 
Kelley  concentrated  all  his  available  forces  on  the  enemy's 
flank  near  Clear  Spring  ready  to  cooperate  in  the  proposed 
attack  by  General  Mead.  They  also  rendered  valuable 
services  in  the  pursuit  after  Lee  had  effected  his  passage  of 
the  Potomac  river.  On  the  tenth  of  November,  1863, 
General  Kelley  attacked  General  Imboden's  forces  in 
Hardee  county,  Va.,  completely  routing  them." 

The  following  is  General  Wright's  dispatch  : 

Headquarters,  Cin.,  Nov.  13,  1863. 
Ma.j.-Gen.  H.  W.  Halleck, 

Gen.  in  Chief. 
"  Gen.  Kelley  on  the  tenth  inst.  attacked  Imboden's  rebel 
camp  eighteen  miles  south  of  Moorefield,  Hardee  county, 
Va.,  and  routed  him  completely,  killing  and  wounding 
many,  capturing  his  camp  with  fifty  prisoners  and  a 
quantity  of  arms  and  a  large  number  of  cattle,  hogs, 
wagons,  &c.     The  enemy  were  entirely  dispersed  and  fled 

to  the  mountains." 

H.  C.  Wright, 

Maj.-Gen.  commanding. 

In  December,  18(53,  General  Kelley  ordered  his  cavalry, 
under  the  command  of  General  Averill,  to  cut  the  Va.  & 


108  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

Term.  R.  R.  at  Salem,  Va.,  and  to  destroy  the  stores 
accumulated  there  for  the  support  of  General  Longstreet's 
army,  then  besieging  Knoxville,  Tenn.  This  order  was 
successfully  executed.  After  the  rebel  forces  had  burned 
Chambersburg,  Perm.,  they  moved  on  Cumberland,  Md. 
On  the  first  of  August,  1804,  these  forces  attacked  General 
Kelley  at  4  P.  M.  at  that  place.  The  action  continued 
until  dark.  The  enemy  was  repulsed,  and  retreated  during 
the  night  to  Old  Town  where  the  Potomac  was  crossed. 
A  halt  of  two  or  three  days  was  made  at  Romney,  suc- 
ceeded by  an  unsuccessful  attack  on  New  Creek  and  a 
retreat  towards  the  valley  of  Virginia.  In  the  mean- 
time General  Averill  had  reported  to  General  Kelley  with 
his  cavalry,  by  order  of  General  Hunter,  and  was  ordered 
to  pursue  the  retreating  foe.  He  overtook  them  at  Moore- 
field,  completely  routed  them,  and  captured  many  prison- 
ers, artillery,  arms,  &c.  In  recognition  of  the  daring 
courage  and  gallant  conduct  of  General  Kelley  in  resist- 
ing and  repelling  the  enemy  at  Cumberland  and  New 
Creek,  the  President  commissioned  him  Major-General  by 
brevet.  It  will  be  observed  that  General  Kelley  not  only 
organized  the  first  loyal  regiment  in  the  entire  south,  but 
that  he  also  fought  and  won  the  first  victory  achieved  by 
the  loyal  army  on  southern  soil.  His  record  during  the 
war  shows  an  unbroken  series  of  victories  ;  for,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  the  war  in  all  the  battles  that  he 
fought,  he  was  never  once  defeated. 

The  following  are  the  proceedings  of  the  people  of  Cum- 
berland, expressing  their  gratitude  to  the  soldiers  for  the 
defence  of  their  city  : 

"Resolved,  By  the  citizens  of  Cumberland  in  town  meet- 


Kelley  and  Simpson    Families.  109 

ing  assembled,  that  we  tender  to  Major-General  Kelley  and 
the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  under  his  command  our 
warmest  thanks  for  the  skill  and  courage  displayed  by  the 
Genera]  and  his  officers,  and  the  bravery  exhibited  by  the 
soldiers  under  their  command  in  their  successful  resistance 
to  the  capture  of  our  city  by  the  rebel  forces  on  Monday 
last. 

"Second.  Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  the  meeting 
we  are  indebted  to  the  brave  men  who  risked  their  lives  in 
the  defence  of  our  town  and  property  for  averting  a  dread- 
ful calamity  similar  to  that  inflicted  on  the  people  of  Cliam- 
bersburg." 

The  following  notice  is  copied  from  the  Laconia  Demo- 
crat : 

"Last  Wednesday  afternoon  we  were  delightfully  sur- 
prised by  a  call  from  Gen.  B.  F.  Kelley,  who  in  the  last 
war  earned  the  title  of  the  Hero  of  West  Virginia,  and 
whose  career  has  always  been  spoken  of  with  pride  by- 
citizens  of  this  vicinity,  where  his  relatives  formerly  re- 
sided. Gen.  Kelley  was  born  in  New  Hampton  in  1807, 
and  was  the  son  of  Col.  Wm.  Kelley,  the  leading  citizen  of 
the  town.  He  left  home  in  1825  and  went  to  Boston  in 
the  employment  of  John  K.  Simpson,  and  not  long  after- 
wards drifted  out  to  Virginia,  where  the  larger  portion  of 
his  life  has  been  spent.  He  showed  his  military  taste  from 
an  early  day,  and  was  appointed  captain  of  a  company  of 
boys  at  New  Hampton,  Mr.  A.  B.  Magoon,  of  whom  we 
wrote  a  few  weeks  ago,  being  his  first  lieutenant.  He  was 
for  years  connected  with  the  militia  in  Virginia,  but  had 
severed  his  connection  with  it  some  years  previous  to  the 
war.       While  in   Philadelphia  in  the   latter  part  of  May, 

1861,  he  was  informed  by  telegraph  that  he  had  been  unan- 
15 


110  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

imously  elected  colonel  of  his  old  regiment.  He  accepted 
at  once,  and  but  a  few  hours  after  was  marching  at  the 
head  of  his  command,  and  on  June  3  he  won  one  of  the 
very  first  successes  of  the  war  at  Philippi.  After  a  weari- 
some march  of  23  miles  during  a  dark  night  he  struck  the 
enemy  at  daylight  and  completely  'smashed'  them,  to  use 
his  own  expression.  He  was  shot  through  the  right  breast 
while  leading  his  troops  through  the  town  and  was  believed 
to  be  mortally  wounded ;  but,  though  his  obituary  was 
written,  he  recovered  and  saw  active  service  during  the 
war,  including  a  little  visit  to  Libby  prison. 
He  was  soon  after  commissioned  brigadier-general.  Gen. 
Kelley  is  at  present  government  superintendent  of  the  Hot 
Springs  Reservation  in  Arkansas,  a  position  tendered  him 
by  President  Hayes,  who  was  at  one  time  attached  to 
his  command.  He  visits  this  section  after  an  absence  of 
nearly  fifty  years.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  us  to  bring  over 
Mr.  Magoon  from  the  'Bay  View'  and  witness  the  meeting 
of  these  New  Hampton  boys,  who  had  not  met  for  50 
years.  In  the  little  pleasantry  which  followed  over  the 
Captain  Kelley  and  Lieutenant  Magoon  of  the  juvenile 
company  of  New  Hampton,  General  Kelley  feelingly  re- 
marked that  he  felt  his  importance  vastly  more  on  the  old 
common  at  New  Hampton  than  he  did  when  in  command  of 
40,000  men.  The  meeting  between  these  old  New  Hamp- 
ton boys  was  exceedingly  interesting  and  full  of  pleasant 
reminiscences  of  the  old,  old  times  now  gone  forever. 
The  Kelley  family  numbered  eleven,  and  the  Magoon 
family  eight,  and  only  two  of  each  are  now  living.  Mr. 
S.  H.  Lawrence,  of  our  village,  is  a  nephew  of  the  General 
and  was  the  only  one  of  his  kinsfolk  to  greet  him.     On 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  Ill 

Thursday  he  went  with  Mrs.  Kelley  to  visit  the  scene  of 
hig  boyhood  and  the  house  where  he  was  born.  Father 
time  has  dealt  kindly  by  him,  and  he  is  still  erect,  active, 
and  with  a  quick  firm  step  younger  men  might  envy.  His 
stay  with  us  will  be  brief,  as  his  leave  of  absence  is  limited 
to  fifteen  days." 

The  children  of  General  B.  F.  and Goshen  Kelley 

were  : 

IV. -24.  John  G.  Kelley. 

25.  William  B.  Kelley. 

26.  Mary  Kelley  ;  m.  J.  C.  Sullivan. 

27.  Frank  Kelley;  d.  1870. 

28.  Wright  Kelley  ;  d.  1869. 

29.  M.  Belle  Kelley;  m.  D.  B.  Mcllwain. 

[IV. -2.]  Dr.  Joseph  R.  Kelley,  2d,  inherited  his  father's 
roving  disposition.  He  commenced  practice  in  Bristol, 
gaining  in  time  a  good  business,  being  popular  amono- 
the  farmers  as  a  skilful  physician.  This  was  about 
1848.  He  went  in  1850  to  California;  returning  the 
next  year,  he  settled  in  Nantucket,  where  he  prac- 
ticed a  few  years  successfully,  then  going  south  and 
remaining  during  the  war.  When  the  war  was  over, 
he  returned  north  and  settled  in  Chelsea,  Mass.,  with 
his  second  wife.  There  were  by  his  first  wife  two 
sons  and  one  daughter,  the  latter  dying  in  infancy. 
William  P.,  the  eldest  son,  enlisted  in  a  Massachu- 
setts regiment  and  became  corporal.      He  was  taken 

prisoner  and  was   with  the  rebels  several  months  ; 

was  then  exchanged,  and,  on  his  way  home,  died  from 
hard  treatment  and  starvation.  The  other  son,  Joseph 
R.,  Jr.,  was  on  board  a  vessel  bound  for  Boston  from 


112  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

Faynl,  which  is  supposed  to  have  gone  down  at  sea, 
as  no  tidings  were  ever  heard  of  her.  William  J.  R. 
Kelley,  son  of  the  second  wife,  Fanny  R.  Porter  of 
Lawrence,  Mass.,  is  now  living  with  his  mother  in 
Chelsea,  Mass.  In  his  later  years  Dr.  Kelley  was 
much  broken  by  disease  and  the  loss  of  his  children. 
He  left  a  handsome  estate,  and  bequeathed  to  his  suc- 
cessors the  example  of  energy,  honesty,  and  general 
uprightness  of  character. 

[IV. -4.]  Benoni  G.  Kelley,  son  of  Samuel  and  H.  G. 
Kelley,  married  Mary  Whittier  of  Grafton,  N.  II. 
They  removed  to  Farmin^ton,  Minn.,  and  he  died 
there,  leaving  a  daughter  named  Ida,  who  was  six  years 
old  when  they  left  New  Hampton. 

[IV. -5.]  Samuel  Bowdoin  Kelley,  the  second  son  of 
Samuel  and  H.  G.  Kelley,  married  March  5,  1845, 
Harriet  N.  Tyler.  They  lived  at  Franklin,  N.  II., 
where  he  was  a  practicing  physician  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  Jan.  9,  1871.  His  wife  survived  him 
ten  years,  dying  April  26,  1881. 

Their  children  were : 

Edward  S.  Kelley,  b.  Dec.  4,  1S4G. 
Harriet  S.  Kelley,  b.  July  23,  1850. 

Edward  is  an  apothecary  in  Boston,  is  married,  and  has 
two  children.     Harriet  is  also  living. 

[IV. -8.]  William  P.  Kelley,  youngest  son  of  S.  and  II. 
G.  Kelley,  was  born  Aug.  2,  1836.  He  married  Miss 
Hattie  King  of  Concord,  Mass.,  a  descendant  of  Vice- 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  113 

President  William  R.  Kino-  and  of  T.  Starr  King. 
They  lived  in  Franklin,  N.  H.,  where  he  practiced 
dentistry.  He  died  Feb.  16,  1873,  having  survived 
his  wife  eight  years.  They  left  one  daughter,  Fannie 
P.,  who  was  adopted  by  his  sister  Elizabeth  Kelley 
Neally.  She  has  married  Marvin  C.  Brown  of  Mere- 
dith, N.  H.,  and  they  have  a  son,  born  July  31,  1880, 
named  Ralph  Neally  Brown. 

[IV.-10.]  Harriet  L.  Kelley,  daughter  of  M.  B.  and  R.  A. 
Kelley,  married  John  M.  Flanders  of  New  Hampton. 

Their  children  were  : 

Frank  N.  Flanders,  b.  Jan.  28,  1841. 

John  A.  Flanders,  &.  Aug.  15,  1842;  d.  Sept.,  184;3. 

Ellen  H.  Flanders,  b.  April  9,  1844. 

John  M.  Flanders,  b.  Aug.  8,  1847. 

James  A.  Flanders,  6.  Oct.  6,  1848;  d.  Sept.  2,  1872. 

Sarah  E.  Flanders,  b.  Sept.  29,  1850. 

Otis  A.  Flanders,  b.  Oct.  10,  1852. 

Narcissa  V.  A.  Flanders,  b.  Oct.  10,  1855. 

[IV.-12.]  Betsey  C.  Kelley,  daughter  of  M.  B.  and  R.  A. 
Kelley,  married  Daniel  W.  Wilson  (born  June  9, 
1811),  of  New  Hampton  ;  and  they  had  children  : 

Henry  Simpson  Wilson  ;  d.  in  infancy. 
Henry  B.  Wilson  ;  d.  May  10,  1858. 
Mary  Ann  C.  Wilson,  b.  Jan.  12,  1848. 
James  E.  Wilson,  b.  June   19,   1845;    m.  June,    1866, 
Charlotte  M.  Savage  of  Holden,  Mass. 


114  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

Betsey  C.  Wilson  died  Oct.  1,  1848;  and  Daniel  W. 
Wilson  married  her  sister,  Mary  Ann  Canterbury  Kelley, 
and  they  had  children  : 

Helen  Betsey  Wilson,  b.  Dec.   19,  1850;  m.  Dec.   10, 

1877,  John  G.  Tallent  of  East  Concord,  N.  H. 
Hannah  S.  Wilson,  b.  Nov.  23,  1852. 

Mary  Ann  Wilson  died  Feb.  26,  1856,  and  Daniel  W. 
Wilson  married  her  sister,  Sarah  Drew  Kelley.  They  had 
no  children,  and  Sarah  Drew  died  April  1,  1870. 

Mary  A.  C.  Wilson,  daughter  of  Betsey  C.  Kelley,  mar- 
ried April  26,  1882,  Henry  E.  Smith  of  Brooktield,  and 
they  have  children  : 

Chester  Wilson  Smith,  b.  Nov.  23,  1884. 
Joseph  Walker  Smith,  b.  Jan.  5,  1888. 

Hannah  S.  Wilson,  second  daughter  of  Mary  A.  C.  K. 
Wilson,  married  July  13,  1875,  Samuel  D.  Davenport 
(died  Jan.  12,  1886),  and  they  had  children: 

Marguerite  Davenport,  b.  Aug.  27,  1876. 
Florence  Davenport,  b.  July  14,  1878. 
Mary  Wilson  Davenport,  b.  Dec.  3,  1880. 

[IV. -13.]  Captain  Warren  Michael  Kelley,  born  August 
8,  1821,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampton,  and  the  oldest 
son  of  Michael  B.  and  Rachel  A.  Kelley.  In  his  youth 
he  evinced  a  fondness  for  work  which  was  not  shared 
by  his  younger  and  only  brother.  As  he  grew  up  he 
became  the  leader  of  the  farm  hands  ;  he  could  chop, 
hoe,  or  swing  a  scythe  equal  to  any  young  man  in 
town  ;  therefore  he  was  chosen  by  his  father  to  stay 
at  home  to  care  for  his  parents  in  their  old  age,  and 
take  charge  of  the  farm  ;  but  he  became  restive  under 


/. 


a /it.    l/Yrtiien 


J2^e££e-y. 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  115 

the  restraint.     He  married  August  19,  1845,  Harriet 
S.  Howe,  and   left  the   old   homestead.      He   lived  a 
short  time  in   Alexandria  and   Bristol,  and  afterwards 
moved  to  Manchester,  where  most  of  his  subsequent 
life  has  been  spent.     He  has  been  employed  by  several 
corporations   as   an   overseer,  and  by  the  city  in  the 
water  department.      He  was  industrious,  frugal,  and 
temperate  in  his  habits,  and  readily  gained  the  respect 
of  all  with  whom  he  had  to  do.     Besides  supporting 
his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  two  children,  he 
saved    money    enough    to    purchase  a  small    farm    in 
llooksett,  near  Manchester,  where  he  now  resides  in 
comfort    and    retirement.       He    gives    the    following 
account  of  himself. 
"I  was  called  from  my  business  August  8,  1862,  to  raise 
a  company  for  the  war,  and  was  appointed  by  the  Governor 
of  New  Hampshire  a  recruiting  officer  on  the  twentieth  of 
the  same  month  ; — went  into  camp  with  my  company  the 
twenty-second  of  September  following,  and  was  attached  to 
the  Tenth  N.  H.  Volunteers,  under  Colonel  Donahue.     We 
marched  to  the  front  via   Worcester,  where   we  received  a 
handsome  collation  from  the  citizens,  and  many  words  of 
encouragement  as  we  were  passing  through.      We  met  the 
rebels  first  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,  1862.     I 
remained  in  the  service  during  the   entire   war,  and  came 
home  with  seventeen  of  the  enlisted  men  who  went  out  with 
me.     I  had  forty-nine  recruits  during  the  war,  and  lost  three 
lieutenants,  two  orderly  sergeants,  twenty-five  men  killed, 
thirty  men  wounded,  and  twenty  men  discharged  for  disa- 
bility.    I  was  wounded  in  the  leg,  not  however  severely, 
but  suffered  mostly  from  malaria  and  exhaustion  and  fatigue 


116  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

attendant  upon  long  marches  and  camp  life.  There  was  no 
chance  for  promotion  in  the  regiment,  the  Colonel  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  remaining  in  their  offices  daring  the 
entire  war.  I  was  ranking  Captain,  however,  during  Janu- 
ary, February,  and  March,  18(55,  and  commanded  the  regi- 
ment, and  was  also  detailed  to  command  Fort  Ringgold  on 
the  Elizabeth  river  near  Norfolk,  Va.,  during  the  winter  of 
1 8(33  and  18(54.  The  highest  position  I  ever  held  was  divi- 
sion officer  of  the  day,  representing  details  from  1,(500  men 
on  picket  duty.  On  April  2,  18(55,  I  was  detailed  brigade 
officer  of  the  day,  and  on  the  day  following,  I  entered 
Richmond  with  two  hundred  pickets,  —  the  first  organ- 
ized body  of  troops  to  enter  the  rebel  capital.  I  have  offi- 
cial documents  in  my  possession  to  prove  these  statements, 
and  they  can  also  be  found  at  the  War  Department  in 
Washington.  There  are  about  fifty  officers  and  men  who 
claim  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  to  enter  the  city, 
and  1  have  never  made  much  effort  to  establish  my  claim 
until  recently.  About  a  year  ago  the  Boston  Globe  pub- 
lished claims  of  different  parties,  and  at  last  I  sent  my 
claim  to  that  paper,  together  with  the  official  documents, 
which  I  believe  have  not  been  disputed.  If  it  were  worth 
the  time  and  expense  I  could  establish  the  fact  without 
doubt.  I  also  claim  to  have  raised  on  the  13th  of  April, 
18(55,  the  first  United  States  flag  over  the  city  of  Rich- 
mond. I  would  not  have  you  state  all  the  details  I  have 
given  you,  but  to  let  it  go  as  a  matter  of  history  in  which 
1  feel  a  degree  of  pride  for  the  brave  fellows  who  followed 
me  on  that  occasion  and  previously  through  many  a  peril- 
ous march.  My  son  Wyatt,  then  a  lad,  went  out  with  me 
at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  117 

enlisted  as  a  recruit  in  the  First  N.  H.  Cavalry  in  1864  ; 
he  was  promoted  to  Sergeant  for  meritorious  conduct  and 
detailed  as  a  scout  on  the  trail  of  Booth,  the  murderer  of 
Lincoln.  He  came  home  with  his  regiment,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  fanning  in  Dracut,  Mass.,  where  he  lives 
with  his  wife  and  a  son  and  daughter,  aged  respectively 
twelve  and  three  years.  My  youngest  son  Park  is  a  drug- 
gist in  Manchester,  N.  H.,  is  well  educated  for  that  busi- 
ness, and  is  unmarried. 

Who  was  First  in  Eichmond? 
(From  the  Boston  Globe.) 
I  have  before  me  a  copy  of  the  Evening  Whig,  pub- 
lished at  Richmond,  Va.,  April  5,  18G5,  two  days  after  the 
entry  of  union  troops  into  that  city  ;  and  from  which  I 
make  the  following  extracts.  The  article  is  headed  "More 
particulars  of  the  occupation  of  Richmond." 

"Captain  Warren  M.  Kelley,  Tenth  N.  H.  Volunteers, 
was  in  command  of  the  skirmish  line  of  the  second  brigade 
(commanded  by  Colonel  Donahoe,  Tenth  N.  H.  Volun- 
teers), third  division  Twenty-fourth  Army  Corps,  which 
was  the  first  organized  body  of  troops  to  enter  the  city, 
under  direction  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  W.  W.  Bamberger, 
Fifth  Maryland  Volunteers,  division  officer  of  the  day,  and 
Major  J.  C.  Brooks,  Ninth  Vermont  Volunteers,  A.  A.  I. 
G.,  and  Captain  George  A.  Bruce,  Twelfth  N.  H.  Volun- 
teers, judge  advocate,  both  of  the  division  staff.  Captain 
H.  Q.  Sargent,  Twelfth  N.  H.  Volunteers,  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  left  wing  of  the  skirmish  line,  and  First  Lieu- 
tenant H.    S.   Grace,   One  Hundred   and  Eighteenth   New 

York  Volunteers,  in  command  of  the  right  wing. 
16 


118  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

"The  other  officers  present  were:  Captain  Abel  E. 
Leavenworth,  Ninth  Vermont  Volunteers ;  First  Lieu- 
tenant John  B.  Sargent,  Tenth  N.  H.  Volunteers ;  First 
Lieutenant,  Mahonon,  Twelfth  N.  H.  Volunteers ;  First 
Lieutenant  W.  II.  Marshall,  Fifth  Maryland  Volunteers; 
First  Lieutenant  Thomas  Frisby,  Fifth  Maryland  Volun- 
teers ;  First  Lieutenant  David  Keener,  Fifth  Maryland 
Volunteers  ;  Second  Lieutenant  P.  V.  N.  McLean,  One 
Hundred  and  Eighteenth  New  York  Volunteers  ;  Second 
Lieutenant  Howard,  Ninety-sixth  New  York  Volunteers." 

"  Captain  Kelley  advanced  his  line  of  skirmishers  through 
several  of  the  streets  of  the  city  and  halted  in  front  of  Jeff. 
Davis's  mansion,  and  by  direction  of  the  staff  officers  above 
mentioned,  divided  his  command  into  squads  and  patrolled 
the  city  until  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  other  troops." 

I  have  also  before  me  the  detail  of  Captain  Kelley,  Tenth 
N.  H.  Volunteers,  as  brigade  officer  of  the  day  for  April 
2,  1865,  signed  by  A.  M.  Heath,  Captain  Twelfth  N.  H. 
Volunteers,  A.  A.  A.  G. 

Colonel  Bruce,  in  his  interesting  communication  to  the 
Globe,  comes  pretty  near  the  truth  with  a  twenty  years' 
memory,  but  he  forgot  that  skirmish  line,  did  not  lose  it  as 
did  an  officer  a  detail  of  colored  troops  on  that  day.  This 
skirmish  line,  about  two  hundred  men  (an  advance  of  what 
General  Weitzel  says  entered  Richmond  that  day) ,  viz.  : 
first,  the  right  wing,  under  command  of  Brevet  Major 
General  Charles  Devens,  -Jr.,  was  composed  of  Devcns's 
third  division  of  the  twenty-fourth  corps,  etc.,  was  un- 
doubtedly the  first  organized  body  of  troops  to  enter  Rich- 
mond on  that  eventful  morniner. 


Kelley  and  Simpson   Families.  119 

Much  stress  has  been  placed  upon  the  telegram  sent  by 
General  Weitzel  to  Washington  on  that  morning,  "We 
took  Richmond  at  8.15  this  morning,"  as  showing  con- 
clusively that  colored  troops  first  entered  the  city.  Any 
officer  telegraphing  to  Washington,  or  anywhere  else, 
would  have  used  the  same  words,  "  We  took  Richmond"  ; 
yet,  in  the  light  of  the  letter  of  General  Weitzel,  published 
by  you  on  April  5,  all  inferences  that  he  meant  colored 
troops  must  fall  to  the  ground.  It  is  too  early  to  try  to 
wrest  from  that  skirmish  line  the  honor,  if  honor  it  may 
be,  of  first  entering  that  city  on  April  3,  1865,  for  Captain 
Kelley  now  resides  in  Hooksett,  X.  II.,  and  not  all  of  the 
two  hundred  have  been  ferried  across  the  dark  river. 

Now  one  other  matter  and  I  am  done.  Who  raised,  and 
where,  the  first  union  flag  in  Richmond  on  that  day? 

We  say  the  first  flag  was  thrown  out  at  the  Rockets,  in 
the  presence  of  this  same  skirmish  line,  and  by  order  of 
its  commanding  officer,  which  line  was  halted  and  gave 
three  cheers  for  the  flag. 

Yours,  respectfully, 

Charles  H.  Hodgman, 

Late  Tenth  N.  II.  V. 

Manchester,  JST.  H.,  May  14,  1885. 

A  Soldierly  Record. 
Editor  Budget:  Allow  me  through  the  columns  of  your 
paper  to  say  a  word  for  the  probable  candidate  for  repre- 
sentative from  the  town  of  Hooksett,  Capt.  Warren  M. 
Kelley.  It  was  he  who  assisted  in  raising  and  commanded 
Co.  D,  Tenth  N.  H.  regiment  during  the  war.  The 
records  will  show  that  he  commanded  Fort  Ringgold,  near 


120  Kelley  and.  Simpson  Families. 

Portsmouth,  Va.,  in  the  winter  of  1863  and  1864;  that  he 
was  second  in  command  of  a  detachment  of  five  companies 
of  the  regiment  at  the  storming  of  a  fort  near  Suffolk,  Va., 
capturing  12  pieces  of  artillery  and  150  prisoners;  that  in 
May,  1864,  he  was  sent  to  hospital  from  Yorktown,  Va., 
but  returned  to  his  company  before  the  blowing  up  of  the 
Mine,  July  30;  that  he  participated  in  all  the  battles  in 
which  the  regiment  was  engaged  up  to  and  including  part 
of  1864  ;  that  he  was  in  command  of  the  regiment  for  the 
three  months  previous  to  the  fall  of  Kichmond  ;  that  he 
was  never  absent  from  the  regiment  except  upon  proper 
authority ;  that  he  commanded  the  skirmish  line,  which 
was  the  first  organized  body  of  troops  to  enter  Richmond 
on  the  memorable  morning  of  April  3,  1865,  as  per  extract 
from  the  Richmond  Whig  of  April  5  : 

"Capt.  Warren  M.  Kelley,  Tenth  N.  H.  Volunteers, 
was  in  command  of  the  skirmish  line  of  the  Second  Brigade, 
Third  Division,  24th  Army  Corps,  which  was  the  first 
organized  body  of  troops  to  enter  the  city.  ***** 
Capt.  Kelley  advanced  his  line  of  skirmishers  through 
several  of  the  streets  of  the  city  and  halted  in  front  of  Jeff. 
Davis's  mansion,  *****  divided  his  command  into 
squads  and  patrolled  the  city  until  relieved  by  the  arrival  of 
other  troops." 

Do  not  allow  the  warmth  of  a  political  contest,  or  lack  of 
information,  to  cause  misstatements  to  be  made  to  the  det- 
riment of  an  old  soldier.  One  Who  Knows. 

Hoohsett,  JST.  II. ,  Oct.  24. 

The  children  of  Captain  W.  M.  and  Harriet  S.  Kelley 
are  : 

Wyatt  W.  Kelley,  b.  May  13,  1847  ;  m.  and  has  a  sou 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  121 

and  daughter:  Burt  W.,  b.  Jan.   1,  1872,  and  Mary 
Belle  Harriett,  b.  Jan.  5,  1S83. 
Park  H.  Kelley,  b.  Dec.  20,  1858  ;  anm. 

These  sons  are  mentioned  above  in  their  father's  personal 
memoirs. 

[IV. -15.]  Abigail  R.  Kelley  married  Henry  Y.  Simpson, 
and  their  record  will  be  found  with  the  Simpson  family 
records. 

[IV. -17.]     Frank  H.  Kelley,  second  son    of   Michael  B. 
and  R.  A.  Kelley,  is  the  subject  of  the  autobiography 
in  this  volume. 
His  children  were : 

Frank  H.  Kelley  ;  d.  in  infancy. 
George  D.  Kelley  ;  d.  in  infancy. 
Frank  H.  Kelley,  b.  Dec.  28,  1862. 
George  D.  Kelley,  b.  June  6,  1866. 

Frank  II.  married  May  20,  1886,  Jean  L.  Richardson  of 
New  Haven,  where  they  are  now  living,  he  in  the  practice 
of  the  law.  They  have  one  son,  Frank  II.,  born  Feb.  26, 
1889.  A  daughter,  Jessie  Kelley,  born  May  23,  1887, 
died  in  infancy. 

George  I),  is  now  a  student  in  the  Harvard  Medical 
School . 

[IV. -18.]  Hannah  M.  C.  Kelley,  youngest  daughter  of 
Michael  B.  and  R.  A.  Kelley,  married  July  15,  1852, 
Hiram  A.  Spear,  of  Laconia,  N.  II.,  who  died  Oct. 
4,  1858.  She  then  married,  April  3,  1862,  Joseph  H. 
Walker  of  Worcester,  Mass.     She  had  no  children  by 


122  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

her  first  marriage.  By  the  second  marriage  there  are 
children  as  follows  : 

Joseph  Walker,  b.  July  13,  1865. 

George  Walker,  b.  Nov.  1,  1866. 

Agnes  Walker,  b.  June  16,  1869;  m.  Oct.  30,  1888, 
Adams  Davenport  Claiiin  of  Boston,  Mass. 

[IV.-24-29.]     John  G.,  the  eldest  son  of  B.  F.  and 

Goshen  Kelley,  was  Colonel  of  the  Seventh  Virginia 
Infantry, — resides  now  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  is  an 
extensive  carpet  manufacturer.  William  B.,  who  was 
a  Captain  and  aid  on  the  General's  staff,  is  a  farmer 
in  Washington  Co.,  Md.  Frank  was  a  Quartermaster 
in  the  U.  S.  A.,  and  died  in  Texas  in  1870.  Wright 
was  a  Captain  of  cavalry,  was  wounded  and  died  from 
the  effects  of  his  wound  in  1869. 


History  of  Andrew  and  Thomas  Simpson,  dictated  substan- 
tially to  John  K.  Simpson,  Jr.,  by  his  grandfather. 

Andrew  Simpson  was  born  in  Scotland  near  Londonderry 
about  the  year  1700,  of  Scotch  extraction.  He  bore  the 
trade  of  a  weaver.  At  that  time  and  place  it  was  extremely 
difficult  for  any  youth  to  obtain  an  education  ;  and  he 
never  went  to  school.  At  about  the  age  of  twenty-three, 
he  married  Elizabeth  Patton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson  by 
prudence  and  industry  acquired  property  enough  to  pay 
their  passage  to  America,  and  set  sail  for  Boston  in  the 
first  part  of  the  year  1725,  where  the  said  Andrew  followed 
his  trade  as  weaver,  and  performed  other  labor.  He  was 
an  industrious  and  temperate  man.  On  the  seventh  day 
of  November,  1725,  his  excellent  and  christian  wife  had 
her   second   child  (the  first   having  died),   a  son,  whom 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  123 

they  named  Thomas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson  remained  in 
Boston,  having  sundry  children,  until  about  the  year  1740; 
when  by  their  industry  they  had  purchased  land  in  the 
town  of  Nottingham  in  the  province  of  New  Hampshire. 
This  town  is  about  twenty  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Ports- 
mouth, the  only  seaport  in  the  state.  The  lots  in  the  town 
were  laid  out  in  the  following  manner : — one  beautiful  lot 
of  ten  acres  was  laid  out  for  public  use  to  build  a  meeting- 
house, which  beautiful  site  was  then  and  is  to  this  day 
called  Nottingham  Square.  All  around  said  site  of  ten 
acres  were  originally  laid  out  ten  other  acres,  and  each 
settler  was  allowed  to  own  but  one  of  these  lots.  It  is 
supposed  that  this  order  was  in  consequence  of  the  Indians 
being  very  troublesome  ; — that  the  inhabitants  might  quick- 
ly assemble  for  mutual  defence.  Mr.  Andrew  Simpson 
purchased  one  of  these  ten-acre  lots,  and  other  lands  at  a 
short  distance.  On  the  ten-acre  lot  he  built  a  comfortable 
log  house  into  which  he  moved  his  family  from  Boston. 

Mr.  Andrew  Simpson's  natural  capacity  was  above  the 
common  level  of  men,  although  he  was  not  much  over  the 
medium  size  ;  but  he  was  strong,  nervous,  and  industrious, 
so  that  he  soon  acquired  comfortable  support  for  his  family. 
About  four  rods  southwest  of  his  house  issued  a  small 
living  spring  of  water.  On  each  side  of  the  stream  thus 
made  grew  a  few  alders,  which  Mr.  Simpson  did  not  cut 
down,  lest  the  rays  of  the  sun  should  dry  the  water. 

About  the  year  1745  Mr.  Matthew  Nealey  built  a  large 
two-story  house  on  the  main  road  about  twenty  rods  from 
the  meeting-house,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Nottingham, 
alarmed  on  account  of  raids  of  hostile  Indians,  concluded 
to    make  a  garrison    house  of  it.      Accordingly  they  as- 


124  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

sembled  and  fortified  the  house  in  a  proper  manner,  and  in 
the  month  of  July,  1747,  the  alarm  was  so  great  that  all 
went  to  the  garrison.  The  men  who  had  their  guns  and 
ammunition  in  good  order  turned  out  in  small  squads  of 
eight  or  ten,  and  went  into  one  man's  field  and  placed 
their  guns  in  a  bunch  together  with  a  sentry  over  them. 
They  then  proceeded  to  do  the  necessary  work  on  the  farm. 
So  the  men  were  scattered  all  over  the  town  in  small 
squads,  except  a  few  who  were  left  in  the  garrison  to  guard 
the  women  and  children.  Mr.  Andrew  Simpson's  family 
were  of  those  who  went  to  the  garrison.  Mr.  Simpson's 
wife  was  a  woman  of  good  education  and  strong  mental 
powers,  and  was  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her  as  a  pattern 
of  hospitality  and  piety,  industry  and  frugality.  The  writer 
of  this  article  has  heard  some  of  the  first  and  most  respecta- 
ble old  ladies  of  the  town  of  Nottingham,  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  Mrs.  Simpson,  say  she  was  one  of  the  finest 
women  they  ever  knew.  One  day  toward  the  last  of 
August  or  first  of  September,  old  style,  as  Mrs.  Simpson 
was  out  of  bread  for  her  family,  and  the  alarm  about  the 
Indians  had  somewhat  subsided,  she  concluded  to  go  home 
to  bake  bread.  Agreeably  she  took  her  little  son  Andrew, 
thirteen  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  went  home.  While 
heating  and  preparing  her  oven,  she  told  her  little  son  to 
take  his  knife  and  go  into  a  piece  of  corn  in  sight  of  the 
house  and  cut  some  stalks  to  help  his  father.  Soon  after 
this,  Mrs.  Simpson  being  busy  preparing  to  bake  her 
bread,  two  Indians,  named  Sabateus  and  Plasaway,  entered 
the  house  in  great  haste.  At  this  instant  Mrs.  Simpson 
attempted  to  jump  out  of  the  window,  which  she  had 
taken    out,    but     the     Indians    stabbed  her    to    the    heart, 


Kelley  and  /Simpson  Families.  125 

and  she  fell  lifeless  on  the  floor.  The  Indians  had  been 
concealed  in  the  alders  which  surrounded  the  spring,  and 
had  seen  Mrs.  Simpson  enter  the  house.  After  killing  her, 
they  ran  about  a  mile  and  shot  two  men,  named  Beard  and 
Folsom,  who  were  eating  their  dinner  in  a  log  house.  A 
few  years  later,  when  there  was  peace  between  the  Indians 
and  whites,  these  two  Indians  came  into  the  town  of 
Boscawen,  X.  H.,  and  in  presence  of  two  men,  Boen 
and  Morrill,  bragged  how  they  killed  Mrs.  Simpson,  and 
said  she  "blared  like  a  calf,"  which  so  enraged  Boen 
and  Morrill  that  they  instantly  killed  Sabateus  and 
Plasaway. 

When  Mrs.  Simpson  was  stabbed  by  the  Indians  she  fell 
on  her  knees,  resting  her  head  on  the  lower  part  of  the 
window  frame.  A  man,  one  of  her  neighbors,  was  going 
into  the  house,  but  seeing  her  head,  and  supposing  her  to 
be  at  private  prayer,  knowing  her  to  be  a  pious  woman,  he 
turned  and  went  by.  A  second  near  neighbor  came  and 
entered  the  house,  in  ignorance  of  the  occurrence.  He 
perceived  fresh  blood  issuing  from  her  wounds,  and  gave 
the  alarm.  A  number  of  men  assembled.  Supposing  that 
the  little  Andrew  was  killed  or  taken  prisoner,  they  went 
in  search  of  him,  and  soon  found  him  asleep  on  the  ground. 
When  they  awoke  him,  he  gave  the  following  account: 
He  saw  two  men  going  into  his  father's  house,  and  suppos- 
ing them  to  be  some  of  the  neighbors,  he  quit  his  work 
and  ran  to  go  into  the  house  to  see  them.  But,  being  bare- 
footed, he  struck  one  of  his  feet  against  a  rock  and  muti- 
ilated  one  of  his  toes,  which  bled  and  caused  him  to  fall  on 
the  ground.  After  crying  awhile  he  fell  asleep.  It  was 
17 


126  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

thought  that  the  men  he  saw  were  the  Indians  who  killed 
his  mother,  and  that  his  fall  was  the  only  thing  that  saved 
his  life.  The  circumstance  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Simpson 
and  Beard  and  Folsom  gave  a  solemn  alarm  to  the  province 
of  New  Hampshire.  Large  squads  of  men  were  ordered 
to  pursue  the  Indians,  who  were  supposed  to  be  runners 
of  a  large  body.  Sabateus  and  Plasaway  belonged  to  the 
Winepisseogee  tribe  and  were  of  the  first  warriors  of  the 
tribe.  Plasaway,  in  a  fit  of  anger  had  killed  a  young 
Indian,  the  son  of  a  widow.  Agreeebly  to  the  Indian  code, 
his  fate  depended  on  the  will  of  the  widow,  who  told  him 
that  if  he  would  take  a  white  man  prisoner,  whom  she 
could  have  for  a  son,  she  would  spare  his  life.  He  and 
Sabateus  were  in  search  of  the  white  prisoner  when  they 
killed  Mrs.  Simpson  and  the  men.  A  few  years  afterwards 
this  tribe  of  Indians  was  cut  to  pieces  by  the  celebrated 
Captain  Loud,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  survivers  who 
joined  the  St.  Fransenway  tribe  in  Lower  Canada  ;  and 
the  Winnepisseogee  tribe  became  extinct.  Mr.  Andrew 
Simpson  kept  his  log  house  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  for 
thirty  or  forty  years  after  his  wife's  death,  showed  his 
friends  the  stains  which  were  caused  by  his  wife's  blood. 

Mr.  Simpson  had  no  daughter  in  these  trying  times, 
but  five  sons,  Thomas,  the  eldest,  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age  when  his  father  died.  The  others  were  Andrew,  Robert, 
Patton,  and  Josiah.  He  afterwards  married  Mrs.  Brown,  a 
widow  lady  with  three  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  children 
did  not  come  with  their  mother  ;  but  she  subsequently  had 
two  children,  a  son  William,  and  a  daughter  Abigail ;  chil- 
dren of  Andrew  Simpson,  who  lived  to  be  nearly  eighty 
years  of  age,  and  was  buried  from  his  farm  in  Nottingham,  in 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  127 

June,  1775,  within  a  few  days  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
leaving  the  record  of  a  fair,  honest,  upright,  and  unaspiring 
character. 

Thomas  Simpson,  the  oldest  son  of  Andrew,  was  born  on 
the  7th  of  November,  1725,  O.  S.,  in  the  town  of  Boston, 
province  of  Massachusetts  bay,  and  remained  there  with 
his  father  until  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age. 
During  this  time  he  was  a  good  student,  so  much  so  that 
when  the  selectmen  examined  the  public  schools  he  was 
ranked  as  one  of  the  first  of  two  scholars,  and  they  made  his 
father  an  offer  to  pay  the  expense  of  a  college  education 
for  the  ministry  from  funds  left  in  their  hands.  This  offer 
his  father  absolutely  refused,  replying  that  he  was  about 
to  move  to  the  town  of  Nottingham  in  the  province  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  could  not  do  without  his  Tommy.  Soon 
after  Mr.  Simpson  moved,  taking  his  family  with  him. 

Thomas  assisted  his  father  in  cultivating  the  ground, 
and  continued  with  him  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of 
age ;  when  his  father  told  him  that  the  other  boys  were  so 
far  grown  he  would  give  him  his  time  ;  or,  if  he  would 
consent  to  stay  with  him,  he  would  give  him  a  deed  of  the 
farm.     Thomas  chose  to  leave,  and  look  out  for  himself. 

About  two  miles  from  the  seat  of  Mr.  Andrew  Simp- 
son, was  the  seat  of  Mr.  John  Pierce,  a  rich  bachelor 
residing;  in  Portsmouth,  and  owning  a  large  tract  of  land 
through  which  ran  a  fine  river  with  many  mill  privileges 
upon  it.  Mr.  Pierce  cleared  up  some  land,  built  a  large 
garrison  house,  and  enclosed  it  with  thick  walls  of  hewn 
timber,  musket  proof  against  the  Indians.  He  then  built 
a  number  of  mills,  and  carried  on  a  large  business  of  lum- 
bering.     Thomas   applied  to  Mr.    Pierce,  and  agreed  to 


128  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

work  with  him  one  month  on  trial,  for  twelve  pounds.  At 
the  end  of  the  month  Mr.  Pierce  offered  him  twelve  pounds 
a  month  to  continue,  which  he  declined.  Mr.  Pierce  then 
offered  him  twenty-five  pounds  a  month  to  take  the  whole 
charge  of  the  business,  keep  regular  .accounts,  and  instruct 
him  in  the  settlement  of  his  accounts.  This  offer  he 
accepted  and  remained  with  Mr.  Pierce  in  that  capacity 
during  seven  years,  until  Mr.  Pierce's  death. 

During  this  time  he  had  married  a  young  lady  named 
Sarah  Morrisson,  and  Mr.  Pierce  prevailed  upon  him  to 
move  onto  his  seat  near  the  mill.  During  his  residence 
there  he  had  two  children,  John  and  Ehsatet,  and  purchased 
one  hundred  acres  of  land  of  which  he  cleared  a  number  of 
acres,  and  built  a  comfortable  house  and  barn.  Here  he 
moved  with  his  wife  and  children,  and  carried  on  a  joining 
and  lumbering  business,  generally  keeping  two  hired  men, 
and  owning  oxen,  cows,  sheep,  and  a  horse.  Here  his 
daughter  Sarah  was  born.  All  this  time  he  was  honored 
with  offices  then  in  the  gift  of  the  people ;  was  selectman," 
town  clerk,  town  agent,  etc.  When  little  Sarah  was  about 
two  years  of  age,  her  mother  died  ;  leaving  Mr.  Simpson  a 
widower  with  three  children  at  twenty-eight  years  of  age. 
He  subsequently  married  Mrs.  Gove,  and  had  two  sons, 
Thomas  and  Robert. 

[I.J  Thomas  Simpson,  the  older  of  these  sons,  was  born  in 
Haverhill,  N.  H.,  1755,  and  died  in  New  Hampton, 
November  27,  1835,  aged  eighty-one  years.  He  was 
the  great-grandson  of  Andrew  the  Scotchman,  and  the 
third  Thomas  of  whom  we  have  record. 
In   1775,   Mr.    Simpson  joined    the   Continental    Army 

under  General  Montgomery,  as  an  ensign  ;   being  twenty 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  129 

years  of  age.  The  sufferings  of  thai  army  in  ( anada, 
in  thai  and  the  succeeding  years,  are  familiar  to  all.  In 
1777,  Mr.  Simpson  was  first  lieutenant  of  a  company 
commanded  by  Captain  Weare,  son  of  the  lion.  Meshech 
Weare,  then  Governor  of  New  Hampshire.  When  retreat- 
ing before  Burgoyne,  in  a  severe  engagement  between  a 
detachment  of  American  troops  and  the  British  and  Indians 
in  the  woods  near  North  River,  Captain  Weare  was  mortal- 
ly wounded.  The  command  of  the  company  then  devolved 
on  Lieutenant  Simpson  who  commanded  it  in  the  succeed- 
ing battle  of  Saratoga,  when  he  himself  received  a  wound 
which  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  A  musket  ball  struck  him 
in  the  abdomen,  passing  outside  the  peritoneum  and  find- 
ing a  safe  lodgment  near  the  spine.  The  surgeons  were 
unable  to  extract  it,  and  he  carried  it  in  his  body  for  more 
than  fifty  years,  to  the  day  of  his  death.  On  the  morning 
of  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  Captain  Simpson  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  Life  Guard  of  Major  General  Lee ;  who 
directed  him  to  join  his  brigade  with  the  Guard,  remark- 
ing,—  "If  we  are  alive  to-night,  1  will  send  for  you." 
Lee  was  on  that  day  arrested  on  the  field  by  order  of 
General  Washington.  Captain  Simpson  afterwards  com- 
manded  the  Life  Guard  of  Baron  Steuben  and  Major  General 
Greene.  He  was  then  transferred  to  the  stall',  with  the 
rank  of  Major. 

At  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  young  Simpson  especially 
distinguished  himself  in  the  memorable  encounter  on  the 
seventh  of  October,  when  the  dead  and  wounded  Americans 
numbered  about  four  hundred,  and  those  of  their  adversa- 
ries about  five  hundred.  The  darkness  of  night  closed  one 
of  the  most  desperate  struggles  of  the  war.     The  Ameri- 


130  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

cans  obtained  by  this  victory  at  a  very  critical  period,  an 
excellent  train  of  brass  artillery,  consisting  of  forty-two 
guns  of  various  calibre,  four  thousand  six  hundred  and 
forty-seven  muskets,  and  a  large  supply  of  ammunition. 
The  prisoners  numbered  five  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
four,  and  the  entire  American  force  at  the  time  of  the 
surrender  was  ten  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventeen 
effective  men. 

After  along  and  painful  illness  resulting  from  his  wound, 
Simpson  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  be  sent  home. 
His  brave  conduct  had  gained  for  him  honorable  mention 
by  his  superior  officers  and  a  discharge  from  the  service. 
He  was  at  this  time  about  twenty-live  years  old,  and  was 
thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  times,  and  loyal 
to  the  American  cause. 

He  was  married  at  Deerfield,  March  28,  1778,  by  Rev. 
Timothy  Upham,  to  Betsey  Bowdoin  Kelley,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Kelley,  a  woman  of  superior  cast  of  mind  and 
character,  who  did  much  to  make  the  life  of  the  young 
revolutionary  patriot  happy  and  successful.  They  settled 
in  New  Hampton,  and  Mr.  Simpson  became  conversant 
with  the  business  of  surveying.  There  were  few  estates  in 
that  vicinity,  conveyed  during  the  active  part  of  his  life, 
when  his  services  were  not  required.  In  the  early  settle- 
ment of  that  part  of  the  state,  he  was  a  common  arbiter, 
and  rarely,  if  ever,  were  his  decisions  appealed  from.  He 
was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature, 
and  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace.  William  B. 
Kelley,  Esq.,  and  Captain  Daniel  Smith  of  Meredith,  were 
his  contemporaries  and  strong  friends. 

The  writer  remembers  Major  Simpson  distinctly,  although 


££&■  '"0^ 


i/^-^-2- ed    -^/■■t 'm/ide-  -n, 


The  Postmaster, 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  131 

but  seven  years  old  when  he  died.  He  remembers  him  as 
wearing  a  queue,— a  patch  over  one  eye,  nearly  blind  in  the 
other,— and  dressing  after  the  fashion  of  those  days;  also, 
that  he  was  a  pensioner,  drawing  his  money  at  stated 
periods.  His  hearing  was  very  acute,  and  he  was  easily 
frightened  at  any  sudden  or  unusual  noise  ; — was  particu- 
larly afraid  of  high  winds,  and  excessively  annoyed  during 
violent  thunder  storms.  In  his  younger  days  he  must  have 
been  tall,  straight,  and  prepossessing  in  appearance.  He 
was  generous,  a  true  type  of  the  gentleman  of  the  times ; 
his  home  was  the  abode  of  hospitality,  and  he  entertained 
his  friends  with  his  war  experiences  in  an  interesting  and 
delightful  manner.  He  and  his  excellent  wife  reared  a 
large  family  of  boys. 

Their  children  were  : 

II. -1.     Daughter,  b.  March  2S,  1780;  d.  in  infancy. 

2.  Daughter,  b.  June  14,  1781  ;  d.  in  infancy. 

3.  James  Simpson,  adopted,  b.  Oct.  27,  17S0. 

4.  Thomas  Simpson,  2d,  b.  Aug.  31,    1782;    d.  Nov.  2, 
1803,  in  Shipton,  Lower  Canada. 

5.  Samuel  Livermore  Simpson,  b.  April  27,  1786;    d. 
unm.  April  17,  1813. 

6.  John  Kelley  Simpson,  m.  Harriet  Lincoln. 

7.  William  Bowdoin  Simpson,  m.  Sally  Stetson  Canter- 
bury. 

8.  Aiiimaaz  Blanchard   Simpson,  b.  Nov.  19,  1795;   d. 
March  15,  1831  ;  unm. 

9.  Henry  Young  Simpson,  m.  Abigail  R.  Kelley. 

[II. -3.]  James  Simpson  was  born  October  27,  1780, 
and  died  October  5,  1870,  aged  ninety  years.  He 
was  the  adopted  son  of  Thomas  and  Betsey  Kelley 
Simpson. 


132  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

He  was  appointed  postmaster  of  New  Hampton  about 
1820,  and  held  the  office  for  forty  years.  He  was  a  pro- 
nounced democrat,  but  held  the  office  of  Town  Clerk  for 
forty  years,  elected  by  both  parties.  He  was  an  affable  and 
accommodating  gentleman,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem 
by  the  people  of  the  town  during  a  long  life.  He  was 
married  four  times.  First,  to  Martha  Farnham  who  died 
June  25,  1825  ;  second,  to  Mary  Sanborn,  who  died  March 
11,  1833,  aged  forty-eight  years;  third,  to  Mrs.  Eliza  M. 
Mirick,  who  died,  without  issue,  May  3,  1837,  aged  forty- 
one  years.  His  fourth  and  last  wife  was  Mrs.  Harriet 
Dow,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  who  died  November  16,  18(35, 
without  issue,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  Mr.  Simpson  lived 
nearly  five  years  after  his  last  wife  died,  and  died  as  he 
had  lived, — without  a  stain  on  his  character,  or  an  enemy 
in  the  world. 

"  Time,  like  an  ever-rolling  stream, 
Bears  all  its  sons  away ; 
They  fly,  forgotten,  as  a  dream 
Dies  at  the  opening  clay." 

'•  A  thousand  ages  in  thy  sight 
Are  like  an  evening  gone ; 
Short  as  the  watch  that  ends  the  night 
Before  the  rising  sun." 

The  children  of  James  and  Martha  Farnham  Simpson 
were  : 

III.-l.     Eliza  Bowdoix  Simpson,  b.  July  30,  1802;  m.  John 
Drew. 

2.  Thomas  Pombrot  Simpsox,  b.  Dec,  1803  ;  d.  young. 

3.  Sally  Smith  Simpsox,  b.  August  13,  1805. 

4.  Eunice    Wadleigh    Simpsox,    b.  July  1,    1807;    m. 

David  B.  Mason. 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  133 

5.  Harriet  Lincoln  Simpson,  b.  May  2(J,  1812  ;  d.  num. 

6.  James  Pickering  Simpson,    6.  March   22,    1821  ;  m. 

first,  Augusta  Craig ;  second,  Eliza  A.  Hancock. 

James  and  Alary  Sanborn  Simpson  had  one  child  : 

7.  Betsey  Kelley  Simpson,  m.  William  Taylor. 

[II. -5.]     Samuel  Livermore  Simpson  was  born  April  27, 
1786,  and  died  April   17,  1813,  aged  nearly  twenty- 
seven  years. 
He   was  the  fourth  child  of  Thomas  and  Betsey  Kelley 
Simpson,  and   received  a  common    school    education    like 
the  other  boys  ;  was  bright  and  promising,  but  evinced  a 
line  of  oddites  that  characterized  his  life.     He  bought  two 
acres  of  land  belonging  to  the   William  B.    Kelley   farm, 
built  a  barn  upon  it,  fenced  it,  and  brought  it  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.       He  died  in  his  barn,  having   committed 
suicide  by  hanging.      Why  he  should  do  this  rash  act,  which 
brought  grief  to  his  family  and  friends,  will  always  remain  a 
mystery.     I  have  thought  these  lines  by  Rossetti  pertinent : 

THE   NEVERMORE. 

Look  in  my  face ;  my  name  is  Might-have-been ; 
I  am  also  called  No-more,  Too-late,  Farewell; 
Unto  thine  ear  I  hold  the  dead-sea  shell 
Cast  up  thy  Life's  foam-fretted  feet  between  ; 
Unto  thine  eyes  the  glass  where  that  is  seen 
Which  had  Life's  form  and  Love's,  but  by  my  spell 
Is  now  a  shaken  shadow  intolerable, 
Of  ultimate  things  unuttered  the  frail  screen. 

Mark  me,  how  still  I  am !  But  should  there  dart 

One  moment  through  my  sonl  the  soft  surprise 

Of  that  winged  Peace  which  lulls  the  breath  of  sighs, — 

Then  shalt  thou  see  me  smile,  and  turn  apart 

Thy  visage  to  mine  ambush  at  thy  heart 

Sleepless  with  cold  commemorative  eyes. 
18 


134  Kelley  and,  Simpson  Families. 

[II. -6.]  John  K.  Simpson,  son  of  Thomas  and  Betsey 
Kelley  Simpson,  was  born  in  New  Hampton,  January 
24,  1787,  and  died  in  Boston,  December  30,  1837, 
aged  fifty  years. 
He  received  a  common  school  education  ; — went  to  Boston 
at  an  early  age,  and  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  feather 
business,  occupying  the  store  in  Dock  Square  at  the  corner 
of  Ann  Street,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  His  eldest 
son,  John  K.  Simpson,  Jr.,  carried  on  the  business  at  the 
same  place  for  many  years  after  his  father's  death,  a 
brother,  Daniel  P.,  being  in  the  same  line  of  business  on 
Hanover  Street.  The  senior  Simpson  was  in  many  re- 
spects a  remarkable  man,  and  was  so  thoroughly  identified 
with  Boston  fifty  years  ago,  that  he  deserves  more  than  a 
passing  notice.  Soon  after  getting  comfortably  established, 
he  married  Harriet  Lincoln,  a  refined  and  cultivated  Boston 
lady,  who  bore  him  eight  sons  and  two  daughters.  She  sur- 
vived her  husband,  and  died  in  New  Hampton.  By  indus- 
try, tact,  and  close  application,  Mr.  Simpson  soon  built  up 
an  extensive  and  lucrative  business  which  brought  him  posi- 
tion among  business  men,  and  means  sufficient  to  educate 
his  family  and  give  them  the  best  social  advantages.  Be- 
sides doing  much  for  the  school  of  his  native  town,  he  con- 
tributed liberally  to  general  education.  He  was  genial  and 
attractive  in  manner,  and  drew  others  to  himself  at  sight. 
In  politics  he  was  a  democrat  of  the  Jeffersonian  school, 
and  was  prominent  in  the  party  in  1825.  He  also  became 
early  identified  with  the  Baptists  of  the  Calvinistic  order, 
although  himself  a  Free-will  or  open  communion  Baptist. 
He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  President  Wayland  of  Brown 
University,  and  sent  his  sons  to  that  university.     He  was 


J/<?^W    -^/^e/^ey    -^iwiAdvu. 


Kettey  and  Simpson  Families.  135 

popular  in  financial  circles  and  President  of  the  Common- 
wealth Bank.  His  untimely  death  brought  disaster  to  that 
institution.  He  was  a  firm  friend  of  the  late  Charles  G. 
Greene  of  the  Boston  Post.  He  was  appointed  Collector  of 
the  Port  of  Boston  by  President  Van  Buren  in  1837,  but 
he  received  a  scalp  wound  caused  by  the  upsetting  of  an 
omnibus,  and  died  of  erysipelas  in  about  three  weeks, 
never  having  taken  the  oath  of  office.  In  1825  an  im- 
portant change  was  made  in  the  school  at  New  Hampton 
at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Simpson,  whereby  it  came  under 
the  management  and  patronage  of  the  Baptists  of  New 
Hampshire.  He  undoubtedly  meant  to  establish  this  school 
upon  a  permanent  and  firm  foundation  ;  but  died  before  his 
purpose  was  accomplished. 

The  children  of  John  K.  and  Harriet  L.  Simpson  were  : 

III. -8.     John  Kelley  Simpson,  b.  April  8,  1814  ;  m.  April  15, 
1844. 

9.  Daniel  Pomeroy  Simpson,  b.  Oct.  27,  1815;   d.  Oct. 

7,    1880,  unm. 

10.  Harriet   Lincoln    Simpson,  b.  Sept.  26,  1817;    d. 

Dec.  29,  1857,  unm. 

11.  Hannah  Elizabeth  Simpson,   b.  Aug.  19,  1819;  d. 

Sept.  11,  1819. 

12.  William  Bowdoin  Simpson,    6.  July  24,   1820;    d. 

Feb.  6,  1887,  unm. 

13.  Thomas    Mitchell   Simpson,    b.  Jau.    5,    1823 ;    d. 

Aug.  21,  1886,  unm. 

14.  Henry  James  Simpson,  b.  Jan.   15,  1826;  d.  Sept. 

12,  1848,  unm. 

15.  Mary    Hannah    Simpson,    b.  May    30,    1827;    still 

living,  unm. 


136  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

16.  Samuel  Ahimaaz  Simpson,  b.  Oct.  15,  1830;  m.  no 

issue. 

17.  George  Washington  Simpson,  b.  Feb.  23,  1833  ;  d. 

Dec.  24,  1884,  unm. 

18.  Edward   Patton    Simpson,    b.  Nov.    30,    1834 ;    d. 

Sept.  1,  1841. 

[II. -7.]  William  Bowdoin  Simpson,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Betsey  Kelley  Simpson,  was  born  in  New  Hampton, 
May  7,  1792,  and  died  in  Boston,  April  9,  1820, 
aged  twenty-eight  years. 
Like  his  older  brother,  John  K.,  he  left  New  Hamp- 
ton when  quite  young,  and  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Boston.  He  was  successful,  and  rose  steadily 
to  an  enviable  position  as  a  merchant.  He  married  Sally 
Stetson  Canterbury,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  a  son 
and  a  daughter.  The  son,  William  Henry,  born  Sept. 
10,  1813,  studied  law,  was  for  many  years  in  the  Boston 
Custom  House,  and  later  was  connected  with  Judge  Stephen 
G.  Nash  in  the  law  business  in  Boston.  He  was  never 
married.  The  daughter,  Sarah  Elizabeth,  born  June  20, 
1817,  married  Mr.  Gordon,  a  fruit  merchant  in  Boston  ; 
they  moved  to  Brighton,  and  had  five  sons,  and  a  daughter 
named  Sarah  Elizabeth,  who  married  and  had  a  daughter 
of  the  same  name,  who,  in  her  turn,  married  and  went  to 
California,  and  has  since  had  a  child  born  there.  The 
record  of  this  family  is  peculiar.  Mrs.  Gordon  inherited 
the  strong  Simpson  traits,  and  transmitted  them  to  a  very 
interesting  family  of  children,  many  of  whom  are  in 
Brighton  and  Boston  at  the  present  time. 

[II. -8.]    Ahimaaz  B.  Simpson,  son  of  Thomas  and  Betsey 
Kelley  Simpson,  was  born  November  19,   1795,   and 


Vrye    G&e-rUy  ty.    -efc™/^«™ 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  137 

died  of  consumption,  March  15,  1831,  aged  thirty- 
six  years. 
He  .studied  medicine  ;  was  graduated  from  Union  College, 
N.  Y.,  and  finished  a  regular  course  of  medical  studies 
in  Boston.  He  settled  for  practice  in  New  Hampton, 
occupying  the  house  known  as  the  Dr.  Simpson  place,  on 
Kelley  Hill.  During  the  ten  years  he  practiced  among 
those  who  knew  him  from  boyhood,  he  enjoyed  their 
confidence  and  had  an  extensive  ride, — was  popular  and 
genial,  and  spoken  of  as  a  good  physician,  skilful  and 
well  educated.  He  was  often  called  to  attend  children  in 
diseases  common  to  childhood,  and  was  much  liked  by 
them.  His  mind  was  strong  and  discriminating.  His 
mansion  was  the  abode  of  hospitality,  although  he  was 
never  married. 

[II.-9.]      Henry  Young  Simpson,  youngest  son  of  Thomas 
and    Betsey    Kelley    Simpson,     was    born    December 
30,  1797,  and  died  October  4,  1855,  aged  fifty-seven 
years,   eight  months,  and  four  days. 
He  was  elected  to  remain   at  home  to  care  for  his  par- 
ents   in  their  old  age.     This    he    did   faithfully    and    with 
the    most    affectionate  regard   for   their  comfort  and   hap- 
piness through  life.     He  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade 
of  tanner  and  currier,  and  after  serving  the  required  time, 
established   himself    in  the  business  at    the   homestead   of 
his  father,   and   carried   it  on   in    the   old   fashioned  way. 
Hides,  after  being  properly  prepared,  were  put  into  vats 
and  packed  in   hemlock   bark,   remaining  three  years  or 
less  according  to  the  kind  of  leather  and  weight  of  skins. 
A  curry  shop  was  built,  and  leather  was  dressed  and  made 


138  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

ready  for  the  shoemaker  and  harness  maker.  Mr.  Simp- 
son carried  on  all  departments  of  the  trade,  employing  a 
gang  of  workmen  and  taking  apprentices.  He  had  the 
reputation  of  making  excellent  leather,  and  built  up  a  large 
business.  He  bought  hides  and  bark  of  the  farmers,  for 
which  he  exchanged  his  goods.  He  made  a  specialty  of 
horse  harnesses  of  all  styles.  After  the  death  of  his  father 
and  mother,  he  continued  in  the  business,  but  became 
interested  in  politics  and  prominent  in  town  affairs.  He 
was  chosen  by  common  consent  of  both  parties  chairman 
of  the  town  meetings,  and  presided  with  so  much  fair- 
ness and  dignity,  that  he  was  reelected  for  many  years 
in  succession.  He  represented  the  town  several  years  in 
the  legislature,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  questions  of 
the  day.  He  enjoyed  an  extensive  acquaintance  with  the 
prominent  men  of  the  state,  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Justices  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  Strafford 
County  in  1833,  serving  until  the  county  was  divided  in 
1841,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  same  office  for  the 
new  county  of  Belknap,  and  continued  in  that  position  till 
the  change  in  the  judiciary  system  of  the  state  in  1855. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  married  Abigail  Roberts  Kelley, 
daughter  of  Michael  B.  Kelley  of  New  Hampton.  He 
and  Judge  Thomas  Cogswell  of  Gilmanton  did  much  to 
give  Belknap  county  a  good  start;  Meredith  Bridge,  now 
Laconia,  being  the  shire  town.  They  built  the  jail  a  little 
out  of  the  village,  and  appointed  Warren  Sanborn  the  first 
jailer.  The  road  commissioners  were  at  first  appointed  by 
them  (my  father  being  one),  and  they  had  much  to  do  in 
straightening  and  improving  the  highways  of  the  county. 
John  P.  Hale  and  Henry  Y.  Simpson  were  members  of 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  139 

the  legislature  in  1831-2.  In  1843,  Hale,  Simpson,  and 
others  were  run  for  Congress  in  a  district  including: 
Strafford  county.  The  democratic  party  was  divided, — 
Hale  was  elected  an  independent,  and  had  a  brilliant 
career  in  both  houses  of  Congress.  He  was  the  first  man 
who  advocated  the  doctrine  of  free  soil  upon  the  floor  of 
the  House,  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  Anti- 
Slavery  party  in  1848. 

Judge  Simpson  was  a  man  of  about  five  feet  ten  inches 
in  height,  and  weighed  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  He 
did  but  little  manual  labor  after  thirty  years  of  age,  but 
occupied  himself  in  drawing  deeds  and  wills,  and  in 
milking  agreements  and  contracts  for  his  fellow-townsmen, 
in  addition  to  his  duties  as  Justice.  In  the  latter  part  of 
his  life  he  gave  much  attention  to  farming,  owning  several 
farms,  and  large  tracts  of  pasture  and  timber  land.  He 
was  eminently  a  social  man,  and  entertained  his  friends  in 
the  most  hospitable  manner,  giving  large  dinner  parties. 
At  Thanksgiving  and  New  Year's,  he  never  failed  to  give 
liberally  to  those  in  need.  On  the  death  of  his  brother, 
John  K.  Simpson,  in  1837,  he  was  called  to  Boston  to 
advise  in  the  settlement  of  the  estate.  Their  affairs  were 
so  intimately  connected  that  ho  was  obliged  to  advance 
several  thousand  dollars  to  be  released  from  legal  entangle- 
ments, but  succeeded  in  compromising  matters  so  as  to 
leave  the  widow  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and  the 
business  in  the  hands  of  the  older  sons. 

Judge  Simpson  will  be  remembered  by  the  older  inhabit- 
ants as  a  true  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  thoroughly 
honest   and    honorable    in    his    dealings,     having    decided 


140  Kelley  and  Simpson  Families. 

opinions  of  his  own,  yet  considerate  of  others,   intending 
always  to  do  as  he  would  wish  to  be  done  by. 

Henry  Young  and  Abigail    (Roberts)    Kelley  Simpson 
had  one  child  : 

Henry  Y.  Simpson,  6.  Sept.  13,  1843  ;  m.  May  27,  1867, 
Frances  H.  Coe  of  Worcester,  Mass. 
They  have  children  as  follows  : 

Henry  Y.  Simpson,  Jr.,  b.  December  23,  1868. 
A  child  who  died  in  infancy. 
Marion  Elizabeth  Simpson,  b.  March  23,  1877. 
Edward  Hamilton  Simpson,  b.  November  18,  1878. 

[III. -6.]     James  P.  Simpson,  son    of  James  and    Martha 
Farnham     Simpson,    was    born    March   22,    1821,    in 
New   Hampton. 
He  was  in  trade  at  the  old  Institution,  and  afterwards  at 
the  village,  for  a  number  of  years.      He  subsequently  re- 
moved to  Boston,  being  in  a  dry  goods  house  on  Hanover 
Street  for  a  long  time.     He  has  now  retired  from  active 
business,  and  is  living  on  a  farm  at  East  Walpole  with  his 
second   wife.     He   was   twice   married ;    first,   to   Augusta 
Craig,  and  they  had  one  child,  a  daughter  named  Harriet 
Simpson,  who  is  not  living;  second,  to  Eliza  A.  Hancock; 
whose  son  is  named  James  P.  Simpson,  Jr. 

[III. -7.]     Betsey  Kelley  Simpson,  daughter  of  James  and 

Mary  S.  Simpson,   was   born  Feb.    4,    1827,   married 

William  Taylor  of  New  Hampton,  and  moved  to  the 

we^t. 

I    am    told    that   they  have   been   successful,  and    have 

reared  a  large  family  of  Taylors.     Mr.  Taylor  was  an  engi- 


Kelley  and  Simpson  Families.  141 

neer  upon  the  Brown's  Valley  Branch  of  the  Manitoba 
Railroad,  and  died  in  Brown  Valley,  Minn.,  July  21,  1888. 
His  widow  removed  to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where  she  now 
lives  with  her  children. 

[III. -8.  The  eldest  son,  John  K.,  is  now  living  in  Arlington 
with  the  family  of  his  only  son,  John  K.  Simpson,  Jr., 
of  the  firm  of  Farrar,  Simpson  &  Co.,  of  Boston.  This 
son  has  a  son,  also  named  John  Kelley,  who  was  born 
May  14,  1847,  and  married,  Dec.  2,  1873,  Alice 
French  Dodge.  They  are  now  living  in  Boston  and 
have  children  : 

Edith  Simpson,  b.  Feb.  1,  1875  ;  d.  Feb.,  1875. 
John  Kelley  Simpson  (who  is  the  fifth  of  his  name 

in  direct  line),  b.  May  14,  1876. 
Alice  Simpson,  b.  May  18,  1878. 
Everett  Oakes  Simpson,  6.  June  16,  1885. 
Ronald  Simpson,  b.  April  16,  1888. 

[III.-9-18.  The  second  son,  Daniel  P.,  a  cultivated  and  ex- 
emplary man,  died  in  1880.  Harriet  Lincoln  Simpson, 
the  eldest  daughter,  a  beautiful  and  accomplished 
lady,  died  in  Boston,  Dec.  29,  1857,  aged  forty 
years.  William  Bowdoin  Simpson,  the  third  son, 
lived  at  Norwalk,  N.  Y.,  and  exhibited  when  a  boy 
a  mechanical  turn  of  mind.  He  was  never  married; 
he  died  at  Arlington  Heights,  Mass.,  and  was  buried  at 
Mt.  Auburn  in  the  family  lot.  Thomas  M.  Simpson, 
the  fourth  son,  died  in  Arlington,  August  21,  1886, 
aged  sixty-one  years.  He  was  formerly  in  business 
in  New  York  City  and  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Henry 
James  Simpson,  the  fifth  son,  a  very  promising  }Toung 


142  Kettey  and  Simpson  Families. 

man,  died  in  his  twenty-third  year  at  New  Hampton  in 
1848  while  on  a  visit  at  the  anniversary  of  the  school. 
Mary  II.  Simpson,  the  third  daughter,  whose  home 
is  at  Arlington  Heights,  is  an  intelligent  and  estima- 
ble  lady.  She  is  now  travelling  abroad.  Samuel  A. 
Simpson,  the  sixth  son,  is  living  at  Sheboygan,  Wis., 
and  is  a  civil  engineer  of  extensive  experience  in  the 
west.  A  short  notice  of  him  is  given  further  on. 
George  W.  Simpson,  the  seventh  son,  was  an  invalid 
most  of  his  life  and  died  recently  in  Vermont.  Edwin, 
or  Edward,  P.  Simpson,  the  eighth  son,  died  in  New 
Hampton,  September  1,  1841,  aged  seven  years  and 
nine  months. 

[HI. -16.]  Samuel  A.  Simpson,  son  of  John  K.  and  Har- 
riet L.  Simpson,  was  born  in  Boston  in  1830. 
After  leaving  school  he  studied  civil  engineering,  and 
spent  many  years  in  California  and  Colorado.  He  staked 
out  Colfax,  Cal.,  and  crossed  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains 
and  the  mountains  of  Colorado.  In  President  Pierce's 
"Seven  Years  Among  the  Mail  Bags,"  Simpson  figures, 
from  data  furnished  by  himself,  as  the  boy  mail-carrier  from 
the  Institution  to  the  village.  Secretary  Colfax  had  a  two 
hours'  talk  with  Simpson  and  a  Chinese  overseer  on  the  bank 
of  the  Rio  Americano,  and  afterwards  in  his  book,  "Across 
the  Continent,"  made  use  of  material  gathered  in  this  con- 
versation. Mr.  Simpson  has  for  a  number  of  years  past 
been  living  at  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  and  has  seen  the  place  de- 
velop to  the  shire  town  of  the  county.  He  now  holds  the 
office  of  Recorder  of  Deeds,  and  performs,  himself,  much  of 
the  responsible  work.     He  is  well  preserved  in  body,  and 


Kettey  and  Simpson  Families.  143 

is  mentally  vigorous  us  ever,  at  sixty  years  of  age.  There 
are  now  no  traces  left  of  the  independent  hoy,  who,  accord- 
ing to  his  own  spirited  account,  could  eat  pie  and  drink 
cider  to  repletion  with  the  best  of  his  grandfather's  farm 
hands,  and  who,  relying  upon  his  prestige  as  his  father's 
son,  was  the  despair  of  the  instructors  at  New  Hampton, 
with  his  good-natured  though  mischievous  pranks  and 
escapades. 


APPENDIX. 


John  Kelley  of  Warner,  N.  H.,  although  not  directly 
connected  with  the  Kelley  s  of  New  Hampton,  has  an  inter- 
esting connection  with  the  history  of  New  Hampshire.  He 
was  the  son  of  Rev.  William  Kelley,  was  born  March  7, 
178(3,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1804,  read  law 
with  Jeremiah  H.  Woodman,  Esq.,  at  Meredith  Bridge, 
was  admitted  to  practice  January,  1808,  commenced  busi- 
ness at  Henniker  the  next  month,  and  removed  to  North- 
wood  in  November  of  the  same  year.  August  18,  1817, 
he  married  Susan  Hilton,  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Andrew 
Hilton.  In  1826-27  he  was  the  Representative  of  North- 
wood  in  the  Legislature  of  the  State.  In  October,  1831, 
upon  the  death  of  John  J.  Parker,  Esq.,  he  was  appointed 
Register  of  Probate  for  the  County  of  Rockingham,  and  re- 
moved to  Exeter,  soon  becoming  the  editor  of  the  Exeter 
JSTeivs-Leller,  and  retaining  that  position  many  years.  In 
1841  his  term  of  office  as  Register  expired.  In  1842  he 
was  elected  a  Trustee  and  Treasurer  of  Phillips  Exeter 
Academy.  In  1845  he  was  one  of  the  Representatives  of 
Exeter  in  the  Legislature.  In  1846-47  he  was  elected 
Treasurer  and  member  of  the  Executive  Council.  In  1848 
he  was  elected  a  Trustee  of  Dartmouth  College.  In  1849 
lie  was  appointed  pension  agent  at  Portsmouth,  and  died  in 
Exeter,  Nov.  4,  1869,  aged  seventy-three  years. 

His  children  were  all  born  in  Northwood,  viz.  : 
Lavinia  Bagley  Keeley,  b.  April  30,  1818. 


Appendix.  145 

John  Proctok  Prentice  Kelley,  b.  Jan.  3,  1820. 
Susan  Hilton  Kelley,  b.  Sept.  16,  1821. 
Charlotte  Maria  Kelley,  b.  Aug.  29,  1823. 
Caroline  Emma  Kelley,  b.  March  29,  1831. 

Lavinia  Bagley  married  Nov.  22,  1837,  Joseph  Long- 
fellow Cilley,  and  lives  in  Exeter.  Her  husband  died 
Aug.  18,  1808.  Their  children  are:  (1)  Bradbury  L.,  one 
of  the  professors  in  Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  who  mar- 
ried Amanda  Morris  of  Great  Falls,  and  whose  children 
are  Frank  Morris  and  H.  Lavinia  Morris  ;  (2)  John  Kelley 
(now  of  the  firm  of  Bell  and  Cilley,  New  York),  who 
married  Ellen  R.  Hutchins  of  Bath,  and  has  for  children  : 
Arthur  H.,  Alice,  Jacob  P.  (who  married  Eugenia  D. 
Davis  of  Exeter),  Joseph  L.,  living  in  New  York,  Alice 
L.,  George  E.  (living  in  Boston),  Edward  N.,  Harriet  S., 
and  Emma. 

John  Proctor  Prentice  Kelley  married  Harriet  N.  Safford 
of  Concord,  Jan.  10,  1861,  and  resides  in  Exeter.  He  is 
of  the  firm  of  Kelley  and  Gardner,  hardware  dealers. 

Susan  Hilton  Kelley  married  Captain  Charles  Emery  of 
Springfield,  Mass.,  a  ship  master.  Their  children  are: 
Mary  Abbott  (who  married  Rev.  Dr.  Twing  of  New  York), 
Susan  N.  and  John  A.  (who  married  and  reside  in  Ore- 
gon), Theresa,  Julia,  Charles,  Carrie,  and  Helen  Caroline. 

The  youngest  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Kelley  married 
Rev.  William  F.  Davis  of  Boston.  Mrs.  Davis  is  well 
known  as  the  writer  of  Sunday-school  books. 

John  Kelley  was  characterized  by  integrity.  All  who 
knew  him  confided  in  him,  finding  him  faithful  to  every 
trust  committed  to  him.  His  generosity  was  great,  his 
heart  overflowing  with  sympathy  for  all  forms  of  sorrow 


146  «  Appendix. 

and  want.  The  unfortunate  never  appealed  to  him  in  vain. 
He  was  a  peacemaker,  discouraging  all  unnecessary  litiga- 
tion and  striving  to  effect  reconciliation  between  belligerent 
parties.  He  demonstrated  that  it  was  possible  to  be  at 
the  same  time  a  lawyer  and  a  christian  gentleman,  con- 
trolled by  his  convictions  of  duty  and  the  teachings  of  the 
Bible.  Mr.  Kelley  was  a  man  of  fine  literary  tastes.  As 
an  editor  he  showed  himself  possessed  of  rare  scholarly 
attainments.  His  editorials  were  lively  and  attractive, 
while  they  were  discriminating  and  just.  He  was  a  man 
of  keen  wit,  quick  at  repartee,  and  a  prince  of  story-tellers. 
Hence  he  was  a  most  genial  associate,  attracting  to  himself 
a  host  of  friends  and  many  admirers. 

Sketch  or  the  Free- Will  Baptist  Denomination. 

Benjamin  Randall,  the  originator  of  this  sect  of  religion- 
ists, was  born  in  New  Castle,  N.  H.,  on  an  island  in  Ports- 
mouth harbor.  He  was  the  son  of  a  sea  captain, —  was 
converted  under  the  preaching  of  Whitefield, — and  joined 
the  Congregational  Church.  He  began  preaching  his 
peculiar  views  about  1780,  and  they  spread  rapidly  in  the 
wilderness  throughout  New  Hampshire  and  Maine.  His 
disciples  looked  toward  the  return  of  primitive  Christian- 
ity, and  in  practice  were  a  liberal,  honest,  hard  working 
people.  Their  theory  in  its  early  history  was,  that  the 
clergy  should  not  be  set  apart  strictly  from  the  laity,  nor 
be  highly  educated.  They  have,  however,  advanced  with 
the  times,  and,  in  New  Hampshire  and  Maine,  wherever 
to-day  you  find  a  society  of  Free- Will  Baptists,  you  find 
an  intelligent,  friendly,  and  cheerful  people,  who  support 
schools  and  colleges.     Randall  was  an  orderly  sergeant  in 


Appendix.  147 

the  regiment  of  Col.  Hercules  Mooney  in  the  Revolutionary 
war ;  and  when  he  began  to  preach,  he  worked  in  the 
night-time  at  the  tailor's  trade  to  enable  him  to  exhort  in 
the  day-time,  as  he  was  impressed.  He  preached  with 
great  earnestness,  never  without  tears  in  his  eyes,  and 
always  touched  the  hearts  of  those  who  heard  him.  His 
followers  have  certainly  shaken  off  the  black  coat  of 
Geneva  and  the  heresies  of  the  early  church.  In  New 
Castle  they  made  the  brave  attempt  to  unite  men  in  a 
simple  faith  ;  but  time  proves  that  no  community  is  so 
small  that  it  can  not  be  divided  on  religious  questions. 


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